


Truce

by HeatherGiesbrecht



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Acceptance, Angst, Brotherly Affection, Daggers, Drawing, Elemental Magic, Eventual Romance, Family, Flowers, Gen, Jötunn Loki, Knives, Loki-centric, Love, M/M, Magic, Magic-Users, Massage, Pain, References to Norse Religion & Lore, Snow and Ice, Spears, Understanding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-05
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-24 06:11:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 22,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2571041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeatherGiesbrecht/pseuds/HeatherGiesbrecht
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki Laufeyson did not want to go to Asgard, but for the sake of the truce he had no other choice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Truce

A Jotun - his skin blue-white as a frozen sky, sat on a snow drift, as a wind ruffled his long black-hair, he was unusually nervous this day. He lifted dark-red eyes from a snow barren rock as his father, Laufey, King of Jotunheim, approached.

Father's voice was deep and cold as the snow around them, "Arise, Loki. My son, it is time, we leave for Asgard."

Slowly, Loki rose and looked behind himself at the grand, gray-stone castle. _'I do not want to leave, but I must. Mother doesn't want us to go to war with the Asgardians and so I must, to live with this...Thor...and keep the truce between our realms alive. Thor - what a brutish sounding name. It wouldn't surprise me to find that he is as his name suggests.'_

Reluctantly, he got up and walked with his father, it felt odd to wear long robes as his kind didn't need them; they preferred simple clothes or none at all. Still, to make a good impression on Odin Allfather, King of Asgard and father of Thor, he would wear the blue and white robes, as he took on the illusion of an Asgardian with skin darkened by a sun he'd never seen and eyes as green-emerald.

His father wore a simple kilt of dark-cloth and his arm-guards as they stopped on the edge of a precipice, none of their guard would accompany them. Though that did not make sense to him, seeing as both Father and himself would be out-numbered thousands to two incase of a disguised ambush.

A beam of white-light engulfed both Jotnar and when it faded they stood in a bright-golden chamber. _'Agh, how can they stand this wretched brightness ?'_   He resisted the urge to shield his eyes against the light, so different from the gray-clouds of home.

Tried to calm his racing heart as his vision cleared and he saw the giant figure of Odin - white-haired and bearded, on the man's head was a golden winged-helmet part of which covered a missing eye, while he wore black and green robes and carried a tall spear.

Odin's wife, Frigga stood a bit behind the king in fitted gold-colored clothes; her long white-hair was bound in a spiralled bun out of the way. Frigga looked slightly surprised at his appearance, her gray-eyes darted past Odin and his eyes followed hers.

Beside Odin was a heavily muscled, tan-skinned, blond-haired and bearded man, with blue-eyes. He wore silver armour with dark-blue edges, over top of which was pinned a red-cloak. This could only be Thor and behind the Prince of Asgard stood tens of guards and thousands of Asgardian peasants.

_'I wish that I could have convinced Father to take, at least, Skaoi with me.'_

Skaoi was a female Jotun and of them one of their largest and best warriors. Despite their difference in age, Skaoi and he had become quite a pair of sparring comrades. Perhaps, even friends one might say. The giantess being only barely shorter than Father would have blocked the chamber's warmth and light.

The sky outside was a mixture of dark-gold spiralled with white stars, clear-blue and deep-black. His gaze was blocked as Odin walked up the steps of the Bifrost towards them, the king of Asgard spread his tanned-hands wide.

"Today the truce between the realms of Asgard and Jotunheim is further strengthened as I, Odin Allfather welcome Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Jotunheim, to my realm. I wish you good health and peace, Laufey, as you return home."

Father responded with, "I am grateful to you, Allfather, for allowing this which has not happened before. If anything happens to put Loki in danger, know that I will return and end the threat to his life personally.", before subtly nodding to him, then he stepped forward.

It was Thor who stepped up to meet him and answered his father's threat with a brash smile, "Rest assured, O King of Jotunar, that with Thor Odinson standing beside him none will dare to harm Loki."

Thor's voice was deep, warm and joyful and it sent unusual shivers down his spine. The man put a hand out as he continued, "You will be safe here, Loki, now, come I will show you your chambers."

_'Perhaps he's not as brutish as he looks.'_

Slowly, he took Thor's hand and suddenly he was being pulled down the stairs. _'I stand corrected.'_ As he almost stumbled from the strength of Thor into the harsh light, he looked back over his shoulder. Father scowled briefly before he disappeared into the light of the Bifrost. Truly, now he was alone - a single Jotun surrounded by thousands of possible enemies.


	2. Apologies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I am inventing some incidents/things, but only to give Jotunheim more backstory.

Loki looked around almost all the buildings of Asgard had spires or were built likewise, everything was so warm and not just in tempurature, but color. _'Still, despite the heat trees, there are **natural** trees, not saplings and such grown of magic ! Also, no creatures are trying to kill me just for breathing...for now. How odd though, that the people are not scared of me, not even the children.'_

It baffled him as children ran up to bow before poking at his robes and pulling away like they would be made of ice. When the children would do this as he stared in disbelief, Thor would chuckle and send them on their way. Not to mention how the older Asgardians stared at him, not as if they expected him to attack them, but in...yes, yes, that was pity and sadness.

 _'They insult me with this pity and why ? Simply because at the moment I look like them. And what would their reaction be if I had emerged in my true form ? Then would they have feared and demanded my death ? I_ _**hate** _ _pity, it is the only reason I still live because Mother wanted an heir and did not want to bear another.'_

Thor inquired as they approached the palace gate and passed through, "What is it like on Jotunheim, Loki ? Yes, I have heard my father's tales, that it is always incredibly cold, but surely it is different for you, with you're being one of them."

Slowly, he nodded as he scanned the column-lined hallway, "What would be incredibly cold to you is only average, or just above to me. Whereas I find this sudden heat rather uncomfortable since I was born for the cold and ice. Rather like you yourself would have found the cold if our places had been reversed."

Two warriors - one female, the other male and both black-haired rushed from behind the nearest columns. He grabbed the black and silver-armoured man by his shoulders and threw him down, straddling him. Seconds later, he cast another illusion as he cooled the air around his hand with magic forming a knife of ice that looked like steel, which he rested against the tanned throat.

Strangely tilted, dark-brown eyes blinked up at him and then the man, calmly, asked, "Who are you ?"

"I am Loki, Son of Laufey."

The brown and silver-armoured, pale-skinned woman broke in, "That's impossible you don't look like one of them at all !"

Briefly, he let both sets of illusions drop, then raised his head to look at the woman, "What say you now, Lady warrior ?"

She blushed deeply, got up and then bowed, "I, Lady Sif beg your pardon, Prince Loki. I didn't know the Jotnar knew magic."

He felt Thor's eyes on him as he warmed the air and got off the other man. "I accept your apology, Lady Sif, you could not have known. I was taught magic and illusions by my mother, Frabauti, as I am smaller than the others and can not beat Issvargar through sheer strength."

Thor exclaimed, "But my father said the icewolves were **friends** of your people ! Right, Hogun ?", as hands raked through blond-hair.

Hogun got up, the silver metal strips arching over his shoulders flashing, "That is what all the stories we've been told say."

Uncomfortable with how Thor was still staring at him, he raised the illusion again. With a shake of his head, he countered, "No, they are **not**. It was only a temporary truce to fend off the Eldjotnar, the fire giants of Muspelheim when they decided to try invading. My mother used her illusion magic to goad them so that when they went after 'her' they would fall into the chasms instead. It is quite effective as a tatic for both myself and Mother."

_'As I think here is hot enough, I would not wish to ever be stranded in Muspelheim. There would be far too much fire and heat for me to ever consider going there. How Father, Skaoi and the others managed to talk to King Surtr I don't know.'_

Sif asked, her brown-eyes glowing, "Could you show us some more ?"

It surprised him when Thor walked over, "Perhaps later, Sif, Loki must be tired by now. There is to be a feast later to celebrate your arrival and I'm sure you'll enjoy it after you see your rooms.", then a calloused hand slammed into his shoulder-blades, as he was not expecting it, he crashed to the cool, beige-stone floor.

_'Perhaps this is why Father stopped trying to kill me himself, he decided to let Thor do it for him.'_

Thor crouched in front of him, the blond beard not hiding the others blush well at all. A hand reached out as, with an embarrassed smile, Thor rumbled, "Ah, my apologies, I forget my own strength at times."

Again, he took Thor's hand, being very careful not to instinctively cool it to a tempurature that was bareable for himself; he'd come to keep the peace, not start a war by accidental murder, after all.

They left Sif and Hogun behind, travelling in silence through many grand wings of the palace. Finally, they entered a hallway that being only slightly darker gold than the others was barely different from the rest. The doors in this hallway were made of some dark wood that he had never seen before.

He was led to the last door on the close side of the hall, "These are your rooms.", then Thor gestured at the door across from his, "And these are mine, if you need anything just knock. I'll be happy to help if I can.", with those words Thor turned and strode into his rooms.

So it was that he was left to stare in wonder at the dark door, before gingerly opening it. The bedroom was made of familiar light-birch, the bed itself was made of the dark wood and spread over it was a deep-green coverlet.

As he sat on the bed, that was when it truly hit him, _'I'm not at home and none of my friends are here. I am surrounded by utter strangers and my only help is a blond, brazen and boisterous buffoon. Grandfather Bergelmir if only Odin had not killed you. If only you could help me for I am_ _ **doomed**_ _!'_

Despair gripped him, a great sheet of ice raced across the floor, then spread over the walls and ceiling.


	3. Gift

Loki startled out of his doze on the, now, melting ice and/or dripping floor as someone knocked on th- **his** chamber door. He picked himself up then smoothed his hair and robes before he walked to the dark door. When he opened it a woman stood there, she was shorter than him and wore brown clothes - with her long black-hair, tan-skin and gray-eyes she reminded him of Mother's illusion-form. Noticed that she held lengthwise a set of light-blue, gray and black robes.

The servant woman looked down at the floor, held out the robes to him and murmured, "Queen Frigga asked these be delivered to you for the feast, Prince Loki."

Speechless, he accepted the gift before opening it and staring. It was simply... **amazing**...a flurry of snow-flakes had been painstakingly embroidered from the gray shoulders 'falling' down the white-blue arms and black chest to the gray hem; the inside lining was made of dark-ruby fabric.

_'How ? Why ? T-this, this would have taken...'_

"Days ?"

He startled at Thor's voice, nearly dropping the fancy clothes on the floor. Automatically, his head jerked upward to meet bright-blue eyes, "Thor, why would Queen Frigga...why would your mother make something like this for me ? She does not even **know** me !"

Instead of his armour, Thor now wore an elaborate set of golden and dark-green robes. The man's gaze drifted around the dripping birch room, before he said, gently, "My mother may not know you personally, Loki, but she has seen many come here and known their longing for their homes. Yet, unlike the others who can go back any time, you are to be confined to Asgard for a month as was decided by our fathers, as such my mother decided to make something to try and help you cope."

Quickly, he turned away to blink away the sudden surge of tears, another unusual occurance on this most different of days. Walked back into his room and without his voice cracking he managed to say, "Come in. Your mother is quite wise, Thor and with this single gift she has put more care and time into my clothes than my own mother. The only thing my mother ever made for me was my first kilt from the hide of an enormous gray Issbjorn or icebear that I had to survive waking first. These robes I'm wearing now, my half-brothers Helblindi Haskison and Byleistr Haskison helped make, whilst my mother had no part. She did not even say good-bye to me this morning when everyone else did."

_'Except for having taught me magic, my mother hates me as does my father. Most others think I am weak for relying on magic over strength. All the others think that I will never be fit to be king because I was born a runt. Is it true ? Do only Skaoi, Helblindi and Byleistr believe that I am worth knowing ? Such is my wretched life.'_

Thor walked in and laid a hand on his shoulder, "You can put it on the bed, it won't be ruined, my mother rain-proofed it...somehow that I know not. Ah, some days, I would give nearly anything for a mother such as yours, instead of my over protective one. You are lucky that you have brothers, I always wanted to have a brother."

The blond man let go of him, before warily he laid the gift robe down on the bed and undid the ties holding his current one closed, shrugged it off and quickly pulled on his new one.

As he turned back, closing it, he chuckled, "Brothers, especially older ones are not a feat to brag of...or wish on ones worst enemy. Trust me, Thor, you were far better off without one."

Said Asgardian prince smiled, "If you say so, come, we don't want to be late. I hope you do not mind but Father has arranged for you to sit beside me. Sif and Hogun will be near-by us as well."

_'Not even half a day has past since I came here and already I have gained an aquaintance, buffoonish as he may be.'_

"A moment if you will."

With a nod Thor backed out of his room and he walked into his bathing chamber. A second later, he looked himself over in the ice. Pleased with his appearance he joined Thor in the hallway, before they made their way to the dining hall.


	4. Barbaric

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Kalla inn mein sem inn issbjorn hani fa thu !" - "Cry out the pain as the icebear cock take you !"

Loki felt far more comfortable when Odin finished his speech and everyone else started to eat. He looked round himself the ice-less window showed darkness spreading outside and then at Thor on his right and Sif on his left. They were taking food unimpeded, but he was to be **honest** , though he was trained not to be...ever unless he knew them, not even then at times, he didn't recognize anything.

 _'Wait, is that strangely crusted,_ _**thing**_ _, deer ? It is much smaller than at home.'_

Sif wondered, "Is something wrong ?"

"Is that deer ? It looks very different than what I am used to in that it's much smaller and oddly covered."

Thor, his disbelief near palpable, broke in, "Of course it is ! Don't tell me that you've **never** had roast veal before."

Sheer honesty, "I have not, I am a frost-giant, Thor, nevermind what illusion I take; fire is very harmful to me, I may make the illusion of fire, but never will I or any of the Jotnar be capable of summoning fire. That is the skill of the Eldjotnar alone, as they in turn will never able to make ice."

The huge, and not just in muscle, but girth, man who sat across from him who had an equally huge brown-beard exclaimed, "No fire ? That's **barbaric**!"

"Pray thee that I misheard you, peasant."

Three voices, "Volstagg, don't !"

Volstagg huffed and then said loud enough for all the dining hall to hear, "Pretty-boy doesn't like that, huh ? Well, it and yourself are. Bar-baric !"

Anger rushed through him and a thick layer of ice formed where he gripped the table so that he would not kill the issbjorn hani. Snarled at Volstagg, "Kalla inn mein sem inn issbjorn hani fa thu !", as he let go of the table, got up and stormed from the hall icy slush spreading in his wake.

_'That thing dares to insult my race which is older than his ! Dares to call me, me, barbaric ! Never have I been so insulted, if Skaoi were here she would have killed the bastard, curse Father's conditions.'_

Blind to anything, he walked until the anger faded, replaced by weariness and he slumped to sit on the cool grass.

A voice called, "Loki, Loki ? Where are you ?", it was not Thor's voice as he expected, but a woman's, possibly Frigga ?

He looked up and shielded his eyes at the glare of a lantern, confused. It was indeed Frigga, but had her hair not been white this midday ? Now the queen of Asgard's hair had turned to brown, or one of the colors was merely illusion.

_'Mother did say that I was exceptional at seeing through others illusions, the only praise she ever out right gave me.'_

Frigga doused the lantern and sat beside him in her odd silver...dress ? He could not be sure what it was, but it was voluminous like many layers of fresh snow. As he looked around, he saw that Asgard was lit by a blue light as if from Jotunheim and then saw many flowers of which he'd never dreamed of before. Some were like dark-amythest, others like snow cradled gold and others he didn't know.

Thor's mother reached out and lightly, but unafraidly took his hand, "You need never listen to me, but I beg your pardon on Volstagg's behalf. Both his brother and father were killed by some of your folk when they invaded Midgard and he has not forgiven them or you, despite the fact you were not there."

When he tried to pull his hand away, she refused to let go, "Perhaps that is so, but I care not for some fool whose intelligence is far smaller than his stomach. I still need to thank you for making me these robes. What may I do to make up for the time that you spent, Your Majesty ?"

She smiled at him and countered, "We are alone here and compared to me you are a child. All I ask is that you call me mother and let me teach you how to make fire."

Bewildered, he shook his head, "How do you know- ? I-I cannot make fire, it is impossible for Jotnar to make fire."

As Frigga patted his hand, her smile faded and her eyes turned sad, "There is a look in your eyes, Loki Laufeyson, that I have never seen in all of Asgard. It is the look of one whose experience of loving family is either limited or has never had one to love in the first place. Everyone, even the Jotnar, and especially, **yourself** deserve to have loving families. As for fire, did it not occur to you that perhaps your mother lied to you ?", she held up her free hand and in it formed a white-blue flame.

The only of her words that he could deny was her last claim, "That is not fire, it cannot be fire. My father says that fire is lighter than our eyes and that is not it...Mother."

Her smile returned and widened into a grin, "Ah, but it **is** lighter than your eyes as they are red and this is blue. I assure you, this fire will not harm you. When I discovered it, I tested it and it is not a fire that destroys through heat, but coldness for it is joteldr."

_'If only Thor could be as obviously  wise as his mother is, t'would be a miracle.'_

Hesitantly, he reached out to touch the frost-fire, it was indeed like frost and didn't even tickle. "Y-you could you teach me that ? If you don't already know animal illusions perhaps I could teach you some that I know."

When the queen got up, she pulled him up as well and they walked over to a bush of the amethyst-colored flower. She let go of him to pick one and give it to him, it was shaped like tens of little baby heads. It smelled like, like...the only thing he could possibly hope to describe it as was that it smelled like calmness.

Frigga said quietly, "This is called lavender, I planted it to help bring calm to my very hectic life. The day I discovered the joteldr Thor had just destroyed his room for the very first time; I admit I was angry about it, then I focused on the feeling of the fire and the calm that the lavender brought, thus it was that the joteldr first came to life. How you will learn it, I do not know, but I know that you can. And Loki, I would love to learn how to make animal illusions, I always wished that I could, but never figured out how."

He felt much better now and they arranged a meeting for just after midday tomorrow. Frigga showed him the way out of the garden and back to the palace. Eventually, he found his chambers again - the walls had dried and the coverlet while still dark-green had been changed.

His gaze darted around the room, _'Where did it go ? Where did it go ? It can't have gone missing !'_

Slowly, he raised and took a sniff of the lavender, then put it down on top of the war-drobe. Hopeful, he opened it and sighed in relief as he saw the robe his half-brothers had made hung there. Truly exhausted for the first time in years, without even taking Frigga's gift off, he lay on the bed and fell promptly asleep.


	5. Feat

Crouched beside his nine foot tall brothers, Loki looked down the valley's edge at the issbjorn's cave and managed to stammer, "H-helblindi, w-why must I go and wake it ?"

Helblindi's giant hand rested on his shoulder and warm, red-eyes looked down at him, "You do want to earn your first kilt, aye ?"

Nervously, he nodded, "Aye, brother."

"You are not even three feet tall yet, Loki and you are even faster and quieter than the rest of us. All you need do is wake it and escape, then we will take care of its killing and skinning. It is one of the biggest I have ever seen, it is sure to impress King Laufey."

Even before the word, "Impress.", the tiny Jotun was already sneaking down the slope as fast and quietly as he could. _'Finally, finally I will make Father proud of me ! He **must** respect me after this.'_

Great snoring sounds emanated from the cave, carefully, he entered and stopped in his tracks. I-it truly was enormous, surely it must have been from Grandfather Bergelmir's time because just one of its yellow-white paws was taller and wider than he was, never mind its muzzle. The bear snarled in its sleep revealing teeth longer than he was. Terror almost made him back away, but he stood his ground and approached it. _'Byleistr said its nose is one of its most sensitive spots. If only I could reach it !'_

He jumped up to grab the long-edges of its fur and started climbing, eventually he pulled himself onto its paw. A few seconds of staring later, he grabbed one of its whiskers and pulled nearly falling off in the process; determined to wake it he punched it as hard as he could in the side of the nose.

It refused to wake still and he glared at it, "Wake up you eld cursed thing ! Grandfather Bergelmir woke you, why not I as well ? **Awake** ! Aggh, uff.", the icebear had awakened and when it saw him with a twitch of its paw it sent him crashing into the side of the cave.

Stunned, he lay there for a second winded until it snarled at him and he rolled away as it tried to squash him. _'Okay, it's awake, now to get out.'_ Quickly, he flipped and cart-wheeled out of its way to run back out of the cave into the valley.

As it charged after him it roared, he dove into the snow creating an ice shield on instinct as it nearly squashed him for real. The icebear's roar was answered by Helblindi and Byleistr as they jumped on it, causing the bear to fall on its side before Helblindi started to cut its throat as Byleistr did with its stomach.

Father called down, "That is quite the feat, Helblindi, Byleistr fit for legend. Tell old Grima the scribe of it when we return. Now, where is the runt ?"

Angry, he burst out of his shield and shouted, " **I woke it** , Father ! They would not have killed it without **me** !"

Even though Father was on top of the hill, still he could feel the angry glare from where he was; when Father snapped, "Stop trying to steal others glory, Loki, it is unbecoming of a prince.", he felt as if he'd hit the cave wall again.

_'I-I, but I thought **finally** Father would acknowledge me. Grandfather Bergelmir would have, Great-grandfather Ymir would have as well !'_

**End Flashback**

The sound of running feet and a child's voice crying, "Bear, bear is coming !", snapped him out of his shadow-sparring on the sunlit grass.

A little black-haired and pale-skinned girl came into view, lumbering behind her was a great brown-furred bear.

"Get behind me ! I will not let it hurt you, little one."

On instinct the girl dove behind him and he created a circle of thick, almost glacial ice around her. That done, he leveled the six foot long, spetum spear at the bear as it snapped its jaws and roared. In response, he drew up the illusion of Helblindi before roaring back at it.

Surprisingly, that did not stop the bear and the beast charged at him as he dropped all illusions. To coat the spear in ice took but a second, he thrust the spear into its chest and when it stopped, he pressed the spear harder so that the two side prongs sliced in deeply. The bear growled and backed away pulling the spear out by force. Of course, that only made it angrier.

Again, the bear started to charge, he planted the spear and with perfect timing swung himself into an arc to kick the bear in the muzzle with both feet. It groaned as flew four feet back and crashed through the indoor sparring area's thick stone wall. Before it could get to its feet, he ran into the room to thrust the spear through the bear's skull.

The sound of more running feet and a voice echoing anxiously, it sounded like the servant woman from yesterday, "Freida ! Freida Thorgildottir, where are you ?"

Freida called back, her voice slightly muffled, " **Moethir** ! Moethir, I'm here !"

An angry man's voice, likely Thorgil, "Why is she trapped ? **Jotun** , what have you done to my daughter !"

Thor's own voice, "Be calm, Thorgil. Did you not hear Freida screaming of the bear ?"

A mumbled response from Thorgil and then Thor was shouting, "Loki !"

It was like watching one of his illusions of himself pull the gore-covered spear from the bear as the blond man, again in his armour, came running into the room. Realized that he was panting as he leaned against the spear to look at the body, it was nowhere near the size of the giant from his youth.

_'I'm hungry, that is probably why I am tired as well.'_

Time blurred, briefly he remembered sitting and eating, then he stood with Thor in front of the open air Asgardian throne room. Odin sat in the great golden throne while Frigga stood beside him.

As Thor finished speaking, Odin started, "That bear has been plauging us for many years trying to kill our children. Whenever we would get close, somehow it would disappear and now you have killed it where we failed. Neither Asgard nor myself will ever be able to thank you enough for what you have done. We thank you, Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Jotunheim, for your feat of courage." Here Odin stood from his throne, thrust his spear into the air and roared, "All hail Prince Loki **Bjornbani** !"

It shocked him and he turned when not only Frigga, Thor and Freida, but what sounded like all of Asgard echoed, "Hail Bearslayer !"

His gaze moved to see Thor beaming at him, he resisted the odd urge to blush and shift his weight in embarrassed delight.

_'Father never would have done that ! Father would have said that Thor did it, but Odin told the truth. I-I never thought...I would get such an honour from anyone, much less from the **Allfather**.'_


	6. Logi

"- after focus the cold air upward, instead of all around, again."

With bated breath, he focused on his anger at Father and Mother then chilled the air in a small spiral. That breath rushed out in a burst of laughter as **finally** after many hours of trying a near invisible flame appeared.

"I did it, Mother." Still laughing he jumped up and thrust the little flame at the sky to shout, "Look, Grandfather, look at me, I made **fire** ! I made fire !"

Frigga smiled up at him, "You've done very well. I am **proud** of you, Loki."

Very dimly, he remembered Grandfather Bergelmir.

**Flashback**

The enormous room was as always dark and he crawled over the thick ice to the black throne. More accurately to the ten foot tall figure of his grandfather, Bergelmir Thrudgelmirson, Thrudgelmir whom himself had been son of glorious Ymir, King of Jotunheim.

He giggled as he was picked up and brought to Grandfather Bergelmir's sight. Grandfather smiled down at him, then he leaned up and bit Grandfather's finger.

Everything in the world seemed to shake at Grandfather's gentle laughter, as a hand ran over his few hairs, "Ah, Loki, if only thee had been mine son, instead of mine Grandson. Laufey does not know how to take care of a child and Fabauti cares more for magic, were it that always I could care for you. While your father may n'er appreciate you, know that always you have my pride and love, Loki."

His first words, "Love, Ber'mir."

**End Flashback**

The sound of more laughter as Thor and Freida came into Frigga's garden. Thor wore a fitted dark-green shirt and pants now, he looked only a little less imposing without his armour. Hilariously, Freida was 'escorting' Thor with her new miniature spear at her side.

Freida her black-hair bouncing ran up to hug his legs and he crashed to the grass as she shouted, "Bjornbani ! It almost ate me and then I was running and the ice was awe some."

_'Even if Odin had not thanked me, this would have sufficed. I got a spear out of this as well, another good thing to come of it.'_

Thor and Frigga chuckled, then Freida untangled herself from him to look up at the blond before saying, "Did you see him, Prince Thor ? He was very brave ! Can **you** do that ? Moethir said King Odin is half-Jotun, I think everyone should be half-Jotun."

_'That would be quite impossible, but they cannot say that she cannot dream.'_

Before Thor could answer, Freida ran over to one of the gray flowers and exclaimed, "Queen Frigga, what's that ?"

For the third time Thor held out a hand to him and he took it, "It truly was an amazing sight, Loki. Father said once to me that your great-grandfather Ymir, who through murder by my father and his brothers created Midgard, was utter evil and so were his descendants, but seeing what I did of you earlier, I cannot believe that. After your saving Freida I do not believe that Father thinks so anymore either."

_'Odin thought I was evil once ? Well, it seems I changed that at least.'_

"It gladdens me to cause such change in Asgard in so short a time...Thor ?"

The man reached up to scratch absently at his beard, some odd impulse made him want to feel the oddly curly hair too. "Yes, Loki ?"

"Byleistr said that you had, I can't remember its name, but Skaoi said Odin has one nearly  as big as Aoethumbla."

"Ah, a horse you mean. Yes, I suppose Sleipnir would be nearly as big as the cow that fed your great-grandfather. Mother ?"

Frigga and Freida skipped up to them, "Yes, Thor ?"

"Would you mind if I took Loki to the stables ? He wants to see the horses and I doubt he's ever ridden one before."

Frigga's dark-eyes lit on him and she agreed, "Of course you can, Thor."

Near giddy, he followed after Thor, they left the garden and when they approached the stables Thor stopped him. Once again the tan-skinned man was staring at him, "Are you sure you want to wear that, Loki ?"

Confused, he looked down at the grey kilt that Morda, Freida's mother, had given him in thanks. Since he knew the Asgardians were very odd about their clothes, he'd made sure to put britches on under the kilt.

"It is too hot for me to wear full clothes without harming myself and your people are very odd so that I cannot wear nothing, thusly this should suffice."

Again, for some mysterious reason Thor blushed as he walked toward a stall occupied by a flame-like roan stallion, "Ah, of course, I forgot about your heat weakness somehow. This is my horse, his name quite appropriately is Logi. Since you haven't ridden before you may as well sit behind me so that I know where you are."

Slowly, he approached Logi; the horse started to sniff him before whickering at him. Thor pulled himself up onto the horse, what seemed far too easily, when he moved to stand beside Logi, Thor pulled him up as well. Nerves had him tightly wrapping his arms around Thor's waist.

"Relax or we'll hardly get anywhere. How funny that you happen to be scared of something far smaller than a bear. Mother said yesterday that you were going to teach her animal illusions."

He nodded and proudly stated, "I started teaching her how to picture the animals so that the illusion is the right size. You know I can make them appear far bigger than they are, I managed to scare my father enough to get him to, slightly, respect me that way !"

_'Where's my lavender when I want it ? Oo, what's that ?'_

Some scent had caught his attention - it was musky like a bear, faintly sweet like black berries and it was...coming from Thor ? _'Skaoi never said anything about them smelling like this. Oh, oh no, no...not now ! I've barely arrived !'_

Before he could hope to dismount Logi was already thundering out of the stables.


	7. Monster

Not even the chilled breeze could cool Loki's sudden fever. _'Aie, why must my first ausa-kind start now ? This isn't fair Great-grandfather Ymir, not in the least and you know this ! You let Father send me to Asgard anyways.'_ Before he was even able to say anything, he slid from Logi's back with a yelp.   
  
Watched from afar as Thor leapt, yes, leapt off Logi's back to sweep his unconscious form up in one arm as the other hand brushed hair off his forehead, " **Loki !** Loki, what is wrong ?"

Then Skaoi's voice, "It is the start of Prince Loki's ausa-kind, at the beginning of our kind great Ymir made sure that always his family would have children. That if a mate had not been found by twenty years, with help of a desirable mate, from the body's water could come little ones."

The anicent white-haired giantess stopped beside Thor with Helblindi and Byleistr. Helblindi wore a issvarg pelt on his head to protect from the sun, but Byleistr wore nothing as did Skaoi. Byleistr bent to take him from Thor, immediately the fever was gone as a sheet of cooling ice swept over his body.

He watched as the obviously confused Thor threw his hands in the air, "It explains why he smells so good, but I know not of Jotnar. This means what for him ?"

Helblindi answered, "What it means Odinson is that King Laufey sent Loki to be killed."

 "B-but Laufey said he would kill anyone who hurt him. Why would we want to kill Loki after he saved Freida ?"

Byleistr started to walk in the direction that Thor had come from, "Loki is not interested in females, Odinson. As my little brother has entered his ausa-kind now even unconsciously the men of Asgard will vie for his attentions until he chooses the one he likes most. Some will be angry and if he does not choose them, they will try to kill him and thus it would be that King Laufey would be 'duty-bound' to avenge Loki's honour and be free to declare **war** on Asgard for Odin Burison's 'failure' to keep him safe."

_'This ? This is why Father sent me here ! Liar, traitor ! Was Mother in on this ?'_

An, appropriately, thunderous look stole over Thor's face and the man stalked away to shout angrily toward Jotunheim, "Jotun Laufey, thee doth not deserve to be king of Jotunheim ! You sicken me with your treatment of him ! Were you not his father I would kill thee !"

Skaoi nodded, "You are not the only one who wishes so. Of all great Ymir's kind, Laufey is least deserving of his title. He murdered his own father...my mate, Bergelmir."

"No, it was my father who killed Bergelmir."

_'Mate ? Skaoi, Skaoi is Grandmother ? I thought Grandmother was dead ! Is that why she comforted me after Helblindi, Byleistr and Father left with the bear carcass ? Why did she not tell me ?'_

Skaoi shook her head and stomped her foot, ice coated the grass and Thor fell, "Laufey is the most manipulative of all the Ymir kind to ever live ! You think it was Odin himself who killed Bergelmir, but he was helped along. My son mocked Surtr, King of Muspelheim, so that he would invade us, forcing us in turn to invade Midgard as a hope of escaping Jotunheim's destruction. Thus it was that Odin and Bergelmir met in battle, thus it was that Laufey Bergelmirson by Odin Burison's hand murdered his own father. Now, now he wishes to kill my grandson and all of Asgard as well."

Watched as his body twitched and shuddered in sudden, though dim, pain. After Thor got up, Byleistr dropped him into Thor's arms and the pain stopped just as suddenly. They had started to get close to the city again.

Thor stopped to look down at his unconscious form, then said, "Laufey...Laufey is a monster ! How can you let him be king with what he has done ? Dethrone him and put Loki in his place. You three could kill Laufey easily."

_'Oh how little Asgard knows of great Ymir, Jotunheim and its secrets. It would never work.'_

His half-brothers and Sk-Grandmother all laughed at once leaving Thor very much confused. They all replied, "It is not that easy, if it were we would have done so long ago."

"Why is it not easy ? What is stopping you ?"

Grandmother stopped also and shook her long-hair before intoning, "Bergloki Yimrson ! He is twenty feet tall, six-headed and can only be controlled by Yimr kind. He is nearly unstoppable to regular Jotuns, if we complained of Laufey's rule we were murdered. That is why I never told Loki who I was. Laufey gave me a choice - die by Bergloki or join the Royal Guard never telling my grandson, but, at least, able to watch over him - my choice is obvious. Even if Bergloki were not there, there is still the Casket of Yimr which contains all of his power. With it one of the kind can freeze a whole world in mere hours."

Like yesterday, another dim memory came back to him suddenly.

**Flashback**

Curiosity pulled him into great Ymir's black-stone temple, up to the great stone table that Father had thought of placing him on all those years ago. Upon it now rested a great clear ice-block filled with swirling blue-white energy - Ymir's casket.

Instinctively, he reached out to touch his birth-right. A mere inch away Father grabbed his hand and twisted sharply, his wrist snapped sickeningly twice, once to break and another to heal seconds later.

Father kicked him and spat, "Get out ! Runts do not deserve to be in Ymir's presence."

Furious, he glared, "I don't need Ymir and I **do not** need you !", seconds later he cast the illusion of Mikilbjorn, the great bear that Thrudgelmir Ymirson had slain to gain kingship of Jotunheim, except even bigger at forty feet tall.

Father threw himself onto Ymir's casket in terror and a great stream of liquid ice flowed from it to cut through the illusion. Cold red-eyes met his full of, incredibly rare, pride, "Perhaps thee are fit to be Laufeyson after all."

**End Flashback**

Dimly, he felt the tanned-hand move through his hair and then he was blinking awake. Thor did not notice, but instead wondered, "Why did they demean him all these years that he would be surprised at being given a title ?"

Helblindi rumbled, "Fabauti is only half-Jotun on her mother's side, though she looks like us. Being a witch she can talk to animals as such when he was near they could not say what they really thought. Laufey could not know of the brewing rebelliousness in Jotunheim and so it was that like all Jotnar they lied."

He coughed to get Thor's attention, the man startled nearly dropping him in the process, he glared when it looked as if the man would refuse to let him go. His illusion must have slipped because Thor let him down quickly after.

His gaze was drawn not to the golden buildings, but the man armoured in gold, with very much dark skin and with dark-gold eyes. This man brandished his great broad sword and bowed calling in a deep voice full of impossible wisdom, "Hail Lady Skaoi the Swift, Hawk of Jotunheim !"

Grandmother replied with a smile, "Hail to thee good Heimdall Nineson, Gatekeeper of Bifrost ! We come to warn Odin Allfather of treachery. Surely this you know already."

_'Heimdall ? Who can hear thoughts, who knows the secrets of the Worlds amongst other great things ?"_

Heimdall's gaze filled with gentle amusment met his own, then Heimdall nodded, "Yes, this I knew, but I know not how you came to Asgard."

"There are ways among the Nine Worlds that not even wisest Heimdall knows of, we used such a path."

After Heimdall left them, it was then that he noticed the loose circle of Asgardian men that surrounded them. A huge crack split the air and then Thor held it, that awe some and terrible weapon which had taken his grandfather's life - **Mjolnir** , Hammer of Storms; white lightning flickered on the edges of the hammer's black head.

Before Mjolnir could be put to use, Helblindi rose to his full height and gave a gigantic roar. Thor having Jotnar blood from Buri only flinched and half-twitched, the others cried out in pain and fell to the street clutching their ears. Thusly, it was that they fled for the throne room and Odin's protection. 


	8. Joteld

Loki smirked to himself as the fools ran after his illusion, leaving him to slip away unnoticed. Despite the fact that he could not hide his smell, it was useful, now, to be able to look as anyone. Being able to look like Byleistr also had the advantage of keeping the other men, who were terrified of Byleistr's height, from getting close enough to smell him.  
  
Freida ran up to him, she had taken liking to his eldest half-brother, "Byl..." when he picked her up, because despite the illusion really she didn't go very high, she realized and whispered, "oki ? Hehe, Byloki, bye-bye !"

He chuckled in turn and strode toward the palace and the little, windowless room that he was now to dine in. _'Agh, has it only been three days since ausa-kind started ? It feels as if it's been much longer, especially, with all the fights that have been breaking out as they try to 'prove' themselves.'_

As if to punctuate his thoughts, there were far away shouts, "He's disappeared ! You scared him off, you cursed hani."

"Me ! It was you what shouted at His Highness. Take this, you fiend."

"Arrgh, you bit me !"

_'At least, no one has died yet. Well, there are not many who are immune to me now, though I need worry not about Hogun. I do need worry of Volstagg, I wish that Thor was not avoiding me. Curse you and cast you into Muspelheim for this, Father !'_

Freida whimpered and clutched at his black-sleeved arm, "I don't like home, now, everybody's angry. It scares me lots."

"Ssh, they are not angry at you, Freida. You have no reason to fear them, it is smar silfrtunga who must worry."

"Oo, what's that mean ?"

"Little silver-tongue, Loki, he's very clever you see. Actually, he could not hope to lie his way out of a little hide-bag."

Now she laughed, "No, he would convince it that it's a big bag and get free."

The room he now ate in was on the thicker-walled, outer-edge of the palace, at the end of a dead-end hallway. Today it was Grandmother and Sif who stood outside the door, finally he dropped the illusion of Byleistr, put Freida down and Sif opened the thick, dark-oak door for them. Sat at the table facing them was Frigga who smiled at them.

Leaned against the far, dark-stone wall was his spear, such had his blow to the bear's skull been that it had only been fully cleaned this day. After Freida sat down at oak table, he did as well. There was enough food on it for all of them, but as he was still not used to eating most Asgardian foods, he mainly ate honeyed bread and drank the black berry mead that Helblindi had brought. One very good thing about the mead, that brought a grim delight to his mind was if anyone who was not even a little part-Jotun drank it the poisonious waters of Jotunheim would kill them quickly.

_'Amazing is it not that I was able to beat the **Allfather** at drinking last night. Oh, if only Thor had seen it, Odin was so drunk he actually passed out !'_

When they finished eating Frigga said, "Would you show me how far you have come ?"

With a nod, he headed to open the door so that Grandmother could see his new talent, as she had been quite curious about the joteld. These past days he had not many safe things to do, but train in it, so he had come quite far. Took a moment to summon the anger and willed the air into shape, everyone, even Sif, gasped in surprise.

Slowly, he turned to Grandmother, held out the intricate, joteld 'lavender' flower and bowed, "For thee, Grandmother Skaoi, for all that you did when I knew you not."

A rare smile from her and her fingers shook as she took it, "I thank thee in turn for this most eerie and awe some gift, Grandson Loki. Even in his ever ausasleep, I know Bergelmir is proud of thee." An even rarer hug, before she put it behind her ear and resumed her post.

Then he turned back to Frigga and bowed, "For thee, O Mother, Queen of Asgard, for helping me when I needed it."

She too hugged him as she whispered, "Thank thee greatly, Loki... **Friggajarson** , for being gentler than Thor."

 _'Mother name ? I-I have a mother now too.'_ His grip tightened as he sniffled, _'So much for Jotunheim being home to all things grim. Perhaps when I become king I shall change it to 'Jotunheim - home of all things posionous and weepy.' No, no that does not have quite the same bell ring to it.'_ When he let go of her, he slid it into her hair, where it shone with or without Frigga's illusion.

Freida tugged on his hand and bit her lip before asking, "Can I have a flower too ?"

"And for thee, Freida, for being one of the swiftest friends I've ever met, this..."

Freida squealed in delight, "Look Queen Frigga, it's a horse, huh...and it's **moving** ! Eee, thank thee, Loki.", as she started chasing the miniature, white-blue version of Logi around the room.

He walked past Frigga to pick up his spear that he had decided to call Bergandlat, Bear-death; and then he went to see if he could find Thor.


	9. Amattreitr

Loki snarled as, for the third time, his thick protective wall was smashed down by eager men. He wielded Bergandlat like a staff smashing hands and fingers with the spear's butt, he'd spent nearly all day fending them off as he looked, annoyingly unsuccessfully, for Thor.

_'Now would be a good time to develope Father's complete ruthlessness ! I don't want to ask someone to let me in, because knowing how crazy my asua-kind has made them, it's likely they would tear the place apart to get at me.'_

Now, it was his turn to be confused as the farther men started screaming, "Huginn, Munnin !", and started fleeing.

When the men had gone two big black-birds alighted on top of the smashed wall. The two birds spread their wings and briefly lowered their heads, then...they talked, "Hail Loki Ymirkind !"

_'Ymirkind ? Why would they call me by the king's name ? Unless even they think that I am rightful ruler of Jotunheim.'_

His 'silver-tongue' lost for words, all he did was bow and murmur, "Hail to thee. On such great wings whom are you ?"

The right one spoke, "I am Huginn, thought of Odin...", then the left one, "and I am Munnin, memory of Odin."

Huginn and Munnin together, "Prince Thor is with Heimdall on the rainbow bridge at the end of which is the Bifrost."

_'All day I have looked and yet never did I think to look there, I am a fool.'_

Again, he bowed, "I thank thee Huginn and Munnin for thy help.", with that both Huginn and Munnin flew off. With one punch he shattered the rest of the wall and started toward the Bifrost. Heimdall nodded to him when he approached and let him pass into the Bifrost chamber...to Thor.

It was odd being in here and knowing now, that even by Jotnar standards, his father had used him. Thor sat in front of the spot were Father had glared at him, the blond man was drawing something on a piece of thin, oddly coloured ice with a piece of what was it called...charred coal or some such ?

"Why do you not just use a pelt ? Surely it would last longer in time as it wouldn't melt."

It amused him when Thor startled and looked up those, to him, unusual and beautiful blue-eyes wide, "Err, hello, Loki.," Thor's next words rushed so that he had to listen carefully, "Oh no, it wouldn't melt, it is not ice, ah, I don't know exactly what it is though. W-what are you doing here ?"

"Escaping from the mad men of Asgard. Might I see what you drew ?"

Found it even more amusing and laughed when Thor hastily clutched the not-ice-piece to his chest. "It's, ah, nothing and not done besides. What stories do you have in Jotunheim ?"

_'Does he think that I have not seen bare drawings before ? Then he forgets that all my life I have been around naked or near Jotnar. Ah well, let him have his thing.'_

He smiled as he replied, "Stories ? There is the feat of Jotmir Grimason who killed the great ice dragon, Amattreitr Jotnarbani, that lived in the ocean and killed many of us before him. Grandmother almost always told it to me because it was one of my favourites."

"There were dragons on Jotunheim ?! Did Jotmir die then ?"

Impulsively, he stood and, unconsciously waving Bergandlat about, he started, "It was in the early reign of Thrudgelmir Ymirson that the fifty foot silver dragon Amattreitr, Terrible-poison, was killed by Jotmir Grimason and Jotunheim was completely freed from the animals grip. How it started is thus: Jotmir's daughter Gaeta who was not only a great beauty, but priestess of Ymir's temple walked on the ocean's ice. Amattreitr had heard of her beauty and wanted her for himself, so he broke the ice and kidnapped her to his magical lair at the oceans bottom. Digr Thennurson was Gaeta's mate and when he found of Amattreitr's deed he rushed to the ocean.

Angrily, Digr shouted, "Come out of hiding, you great coward ! Are thee of Buri's weak sons dragon ? Have you no strength left to fight me ?"

A great smashing sounded far from him and one of Amattreitr's terrific, slitted, green-eyes was visible. This eye it burned with great ire at being interrupted while trying to court Gaeta and then the enormous eye disappeared.

Still angered, Digr stamped away and pulling a large rock from the ground threw it into the ocean. Little did he know that it landed on, and lamed, one of Amattreitr's webbed feet. Clouds of white-green smoke drifted from the hole and past Digr whom paid it no mind to his regret, for when he visited Jotmir he became sick of the poison.

Jotmir, furious in his own right, went to the ocean, jumped into the hole and swam into Amattreitr's lair. It was a gigantic cave furnished with corals, great blue gems that had grown under the water and many Jotnar skeletons. Gaeta was restrained with weed rope against one of the gems and cried, "Faethir, mega duga ! Duga minn !"

With Gaeta's words Jotmir grabbed Amattreitr's tail and, with strength worthy of great Ymir, threw the silver dragon's scaled coils into the far wall.

Amatteritr turned, bared his fearsome fangs and roared, "You **dare** challenge me ! I am Amatteitr Nottson !"

Jotmir created a great spear of ice and brandished it as he answered, "Then we are equally matched for I am Jotmir Grimason, warrior of King Thrudgelmir."

The battle that went on was so terrific not even Jotmir himself could remember much of it after, except that they each sustained many grevious wounds. As Amattreitr turned once, Jotmir noticed that it was lame in one foot and this side he attacked eagerly. Once Amattreitr had tired much, he stabbed the dragon through its heart and from its mouth came a last poison cloud that engulfed both Jotmir and Gaeta as they escaped. The feat of Jotmir was recorded just before Amatteritr's poison killed his last victims, thus it is that one in each generation of Jotnar since is called Jotmir in his honour.", exhausted now he leaned against Bergandlat in the middle of the room.

Thor's head tilted and the Asgardian prince got up to, excitedly take one of his hands, understanding dawning in those eyes, "That is why you use a spear do you not because of Jotmir ?"

_'Finally someone who understands my weapon choice the first time. Amattreitr's breath to you, Eitr Bruggason for mocking me !'_

Despite Thor's excitement, he yawned, murmuring, "Exactly, minn dyrr.", before he was pulled under by sleep's gentle waves seconds later.

In his dreams as he slew the dragon it was like Father in colour - white-blue scaled with cold, blood-red eyes that just before they closed turned green.

Not even Heimdall's echoed voice saying, "Aww, how sweet."

Or Thor's followed snap of, "Shush, Heimdall !", stirred him.


	10. Superior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To those who said that it has gotten confusing, please tell me if this clears anything up, thanks. 
> 
> If it does not, tell me, then I will go back and try to make it clearer for the others

Loki sat at the table across from Thor, the urge to reach across and touch was hard to resist. So, finally he gave in and leaned over to run a hand over the tanned cheek, through the blond-beard that was so oddly rough against his finger-tips. No Jotun that he had ever met had a beard, that was what made it so fascinating.  
  
 _'I may not be able to leave, but Skaoi said that Father is coming to visit sometime. No doubt he is getting impatient about my still being alive. I wonder if Thor will be so pleasant the next time he and Father meet ?'_

To his annoyance there was a knock on the door, he got up and cautiously, because normally Sif  would have opened it, opened the door. Father with his eight-foot tall guard Brugga and nine-foot tall Hjor stood there.

Father smiled coldly down at him, "Hello, Loki. I see you have not chosen anyone yet."

"Hello, Father, Brugga, Hjor. I am trying to make sure I pick the right person, Father. So, that I do not end up angry and bitter like you. Where are Sif and Skaoi ?"

A second later, he crashed into the table and Thor from Father's punch. His gaze caught Bergandlat's butt a few feet away. Dazed, he rolled over, but couldn't avoid Brugga's grab and then Thor was making an odd choking noise. His gaze darted to the Asgardian, Hjor had grabbed him, now ice was spreading up Thor's throat. _'No, no. Let him go, Hjor, you can't kill him !'_ Taken by surprise, Thor floundered against Hjor's immense height advantage and strength.

Brugga slammed him into the floor, before Father walked up to stand over him, "Asgard has long been in my way as has the Allfather. Too long the Asgardians have acted as if they were superior to us, when they are weaker and we existed long before them. King Surtr and I have planned to change that for a very long time, first it was seperate planning, but then we joined together. Isn't that right Surtr ?"

Surtr walked into the room, he was the exact opposite of Father. The king of Muspelheim was extraordinarily tall by now's standards - nine and a half-feet tall, his skin was a dusky orange/red, his eyes...his eyes were bright eitr-green.

Just by Surtr's entering he felt the room had become much hotter, almost unbearably so. Surtr's voice was a quiet roar like distant rocks falling, "Quite right, Laufey and it is time that they learned with Odin Burisson their place. Our races were made for war young Loki, you may have become sympathetic to them, but you have not abandoned us yet. Help us and perhaps I will let you keep Odinson."

_'Was Father's 'mocking' of Surtr really a surprise to Surtr or were they friends all along ? How do they know that ? Did Mother illusion someone to report to her about me ?'_

He managed to hiss, "Let him go...then I will consider it."

Hjor let go of Thor as Father nodded, Thor crashed to the floor his skin an unhealthy blue-shade. _'Come on, Thor, help me with this if you can.'_

Seconds later, he backward kicked Brugga in the chest, all the strength he could muster was just enough to stun the much bigger frost-giant and throw him off. Threw himself at Bergandlat, just as he grabbed the spear blistering heat and agony spread through his back, he heard himself screaming.

Surtr laughed in obvious glee and then the fire stopped, "That was just a taste of what I could do to you Laufeyson."

_'Shall we see how you like joteld, Surtr ?'_

Forced himself to roll over, as he ran to help Thor up he was turning the air around the Eldjotnar king to frost-fire. Now, it was Surtr's turn to scream in agony as Father ran away. Thor took out Mjolnir and hit Brugga, who had just gotten up, in the chest causing him to crash into the far wall.

Surtr's fire overwhelmed his own joteld and it disappeared, then Huginn and Munnin's voices, "The Allfather comes ! Odin approaches thee O Surtr."

The king of Muspelheim snarled, as he left, setting the door on fire and trapping them with Brugga and Hjor, "We will be back, Laufeyson, Odinson ! Then you both will burn in Muspelheim's dungeons !"

Thor hissed and then as Mjolnir was swung white-lightning flew from its edges to engulf Hjor. Brugga it seemed was unconscious as he himself would likely be soon. Watched amazed as Thor twirled the hammer and a wind sprang up to put out the fire.

His vision was going black as Odin walked into the room, forced himself to stay conscious and ask, "Grandmother, Sif ?"

Odin crouched in front of him, "We think that they will live. If Huginn and Munnin had not noticed Surtr's movements and come back yesterday, and if Heimdall had not sensed Surtr's thoughts today, he would have completely surprised us."

Thor helped him to the healing wing as Odin took Brugga to a, "Safe place."

As one of the healer's hands holding a knife crossed his back, trying to scrape off his burnt skin/ice-slivers, from trying to unconsciously protect himself, he moaned, clutching the table so tightly it hurt.

Thor, who sat in front of him, blue-eyes worriedly flitting about the room, muttered, "Why could Jotmir not have killed Surtr instead of Amattreitr ?"

To distract himself, he answered, "Perhaps that is my and Bergandlat's job to do.," Gasped and screamed as the knife finally broke through the burnt-skin to touch the new-skin underneath, "Aahgh-mnn, Ymir help me !"

Calloused fingers lifted his face, before the rough blond-beard brushed his chin and soft-lips touched his all too briefly. "All of Asgard and I will be happy to help with that."

_'With Thor's help oh how I will relish the look on Surtr's face as he dies.'_


	11. Burn

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for bearing with me so far :) I'm hoping that I can keep any confusion to a minimum, if not just tell me, and, more importantly, that you guys keep enjoying it.

It was dark outside the light-golden walled healing room when Loki's back finally stopped being tender at every muscle twitch and a healer allowed him to sit up. Worried, he looked to Sif whose face had been burned on the right-side by Surtr and had yet to awaken; her skin still shone as dark-red as his own eyes. Byleistr had shown up a few hours ago and with a touch brought down Sif's facial swelling before leaving.

_'If I had gone to check on them instead of staying with Thor could I have headed Father and Surtr off ? Could I have saved Sif and Grandmother this pain ? I should have known Father would pull something like this when Grandmother said that he wanted war.'_

Thankfully, Grandmother had just woken, both Sif and Grandmother's hair had been burned a lot shorter. Confusedly, Grandmother lifted her head, the white-hair burned to above shoulder-length, the left side of her body which had been burnt and slashed badly by Surtr's fire-blade was just barely starting to heal now.

Earlier when Freida and Morda had come in, Freida had been shocked at the damage that Surtr had caused to their friends. Remembered Morda's words, "This is what Surtr would do to us ?"

"No, Morda, he would do much worse."

Back in the present, Grandmother murmured, "I saw Surtr, but how did he find the hidden passage from Muspelheim to Asgard ? Heimdall said it was guarded."

Heimdall appeared in the doorway, "It was guarded, at least, until Surtr and some of his guards melted the destroyer that was protecting the passage. By the time that I got there Surtr had disappeared and I slew a few of his guard. I should have warned Odin when first I felt something was wrong with Laufey's thoughts. I thought that he was just worried for Loki."

He smiled when Thor came up behind Heimdall, "Anyone would be capable of making such a mistake, Heimdall. Add to that Laufey's having had many years of manipulating to hone his skills and it is nothing to be ashamed of my friend. Loki, you wanted to see what I drew yesterday, no ?"

As Heimdall moved into the room to talk to Grandmother, Thor holding a few pieces of not-ice moved to sit beside him. Tanned fingers tapped the pieces, "I remembered what these are called now."

Accepted the pieces as he asked, "And what are they called, Thor ?"

Proudly stated, "It's called paper and it's made from tree bark, ah,...somehow that I still haven't found out. I am terrible at figuring this out, Loki,  even worse than I was with my old drawings of what I thought Jotnar looked like."

Heimdall chimed in, "Thor near anything would look better than your early ones and still you needed my help finishing this last one."

_'Thor's drawings cannot be that bad compared to when I tried to draw something with ice for the first time. Grandfather didn't look like he was supposed to at all, not even his eyes. He looked far too much like Father.'_

With those thoughts he looked down at the first paper and exclaimed, "Oh my, that's...that's quite the cloudy ice." The drawing was to be honest, quite crude, but a rather adorable attempt in his mind - it amounted to a giant blue circle with red blob-eyes as well as bloody fangs and claws.

His quiet laughter and aside glance met with an embrrassed smile, then he flinched as the laughter triggered another small spasm of pain down his back. Shuffled to the next piece of paper - this drawing was better porpotioned as it actually had a body, if impossibly muscled, but now it, and especially, the face looked more animal-like; there were leg and shoulder-ruffs of white-fur, a short, bear-like muzzle and deep-set, dragon-slitted, red-eyes.

"It's...creative I must give you that. I would certainly be much more impressive if I looked as this does."

_'If I looked as it does Father would not have considered abandoning me, Father would have respected me from the start and I might even have become king by now without this mess. How odd would  that have been ?'_

Thor covered his face with his hands, mumbling, "I am so very sorry, I know it offends you. I listened to Volstagg too much when I made that one.", then louder as Thor raised his head, "I would not want you to look as that. You are beautiful on your own, but even more so when compared to Helblindi and Byleistr."

Blushed as he replied, shaking his head, "I am not, Thor. Not only because of my upbringing of which at some points I am an almost habitual liar, I am also weak to the point of near uselessness - when I kicked Brugga this morning I barely moved him, at all."

"Then we see two very different Jotnar when you look at yourself and I look at you." The last piece of paper was pulled to the front and he stared at the drawing that Heimdall had helped Thor with.

It was a drawing of him from just before they'd entered the stables, not of his illusion-form, but of his actual self. His black-hair loose around his shoulders, starkly contrasted by his white-blue skinned, small muscled body as the gray kilt was half-falling off and, somehow, the drawing's red-eyes looked innocent.

Hogun's voice echoed down the hallway, "Volstagg if you want to start an argument I will not let you go in there. Even if you don't like Loki, Sif still needs to heal and I will not let you make her worse."

_'What is Volstagg doing here ? Has he come to see Sif ? Surely it is not because of Grandmother or dare I to wonder if he has come to apologize.'_

Hogun with the brown-haired and beared Volstagg walked into the room, as Hogun walked to Sif, Volstagg continued up to himself. Volstagg scratched at his brown-leather and chain-mail armour, before shifting his weight awkwardly.

Volstagg half-bowed, "Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Jotunheim, I wish to apologize for my behaviour when first I met you. My first encounters with your world were not good ones and I projected my unfair views onto you before I even talked to you. And then when you saved Freida Thorgildottir, I convinced myself that you did it only because the bear would have killed you too. Earlier this day when I saw your father, King Laufey, up close and that he did not stop the great, red brute who was burning the animals to a crisp for pleasure did I realize that you are **not** barbaric. I am sorry for calling you such, if we do go to war with Muspelheim I would gladly fight beside you if you will have me."

He gestured for Volstagg to get up, when the man had done so, he replied, "I appreciate and accept your apology, Volstagg of Asgard. It heartens me to know that your many years of experience will be on my side when the fighting starts. Know you this the Jotnar that killed your family members likely did not want to do so and I apologize for my father's actions."

Volstagg nodded to him before bowing to Thor and then turned to walk around to Sif's bed. The main healer, a fit, but very short, red-haired woman, Gertrude Valjardottir, walked into the room holding a clear jar of oils.

Gertrude thrust the jar at Thor, "Make thyself useful, Prince Thor and spread this warmed on Prince Loki's back so that he is able-bodied tomorrow morning."

Now it was Thor whose skin was flushed dark-red and he stammered, as both Heimdall and Grandmother laughed, "H-healer G-gertrude, surely it would be m-more effective if you did it. I-I know not where to put it."

Volstagg called from the other side of the room, "How about not where you want to put it, eh ?" and Thor quickly ducked his head, the shoulder-length blond-hair hiding his face.

That happened whilst Gertrude planted her feet and her green-eyes sparked in indignation, "I am too short to do it without dragging noisy stools across the floor and possibly waking poor Sif. You will do it now or I will tell Queen Frigga that you were disturbing His Highness with your poor charcoling skills."

Before Thor could respond, he did his turn at convincing the man, "It would help me with my asua-kind, if I smell more like you than myself they will stop hounding me as much to pick one of them or they should. Right Grandmother ?"

Grandmother nodded, "They should if they think he is close to choosing you. As a former Queen to a future King, I would recommend this course, if only for the sake of keeping Asgard in one piece."

Finally with slight reluctance Thor nodded and accepted the jar from Gertrude.


	12. Oils

Whilst having the new, silver-walled room's candles lit might have been good for Thor, once again havoc was being wrecked with Loki's night-vision. As he finished laying himself on the table, he looked over at Thor who was, again, checking if the oils would be too hot.

_'Aie, I have heard of less Jotnar being this worried for their first kiss, than Thor is with these oils.'_

Closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the calming oils - lavender, honeysuckle and jasmine, to murmur, "Stop fussing with it, Thor. I was already burned once today, oil burns would be nothing compared to Surtr's I assure you. Actually, it would be nothing compared to quite many things as have happened to me."

Thor sighed in both nerves and relief to wonder, as he walked to stand beside the table with the little bowl, "What does that mean ? What happened to you ?"

It was his turn to loose an embarrassed chuckle, "If you think this is embarrassing, you would not have wanted to be me when I bitten by an issvarg pup on the hani because the cloudy iced thing couldn't reach any higher. To further it not only was old Grima the royal scribe, but also our healer...I think I scarred him quite badly those few days."

Thor's hearty laughter echoed through the room, "Yes, I suppose this is much less embarrassing than that. What did you do with the pup ? You didn't kill it did you ?", as the man put the oils beside him and then started walking around the table, looking for a good angle to start rubbing the oils in.  
   
 _'You'd think he's **really** never done this before or, at least, not with someone he's liked.'_

He shook his head, "Thor, just get on me, would you ? Side-angles are too awkward for the center of my back which is where I need it most as Surtr focused the fire there. I did not, after I was healed I found it at a carcass and took it home. Imagine my utter surprise when a few days later I found out that Father had sent Bokki to Priestess Mira to be a sacrifice to Ymir because it was a disgrace to have a predator where Amuothumbla had walked."

A few seconds of thinking before Thor finally crawled onto him, he sighed as strong-fingers started lightly rubbing the oils into his shoulder-blades. _'Oh, Amuothumbla, I didn't know warmth could feel so good. Ahh, if only I had known before...hnn, what ?'_

"So, Ymir truly is a God to Jotnar ?"

His body half-twitched as Thor's fingers pushed deeper against muscle this time, "Who else would we, mmm, revere ? Ymir was father of our race and Amuothumbla the one who kept him alive. Is that not reasonable ?"

Fingers moving away to get more oil before they rubbed a deep circle, before lightly trailing down his spine as Thor shivered, then answered, "Of course, it is. It's just odd as we thought you Jotnar didn't like Gods."

Warm hands rested on the small of his back and slowly moved upward, he shuddered as ice started spreading over the table. The sensation of cold bliss that was quickly rising made it hard for him to focus enough to respond, "It is the Eldjotnar who do not like Gods in my opinion. Never have they changed Kings as such why should they have reverence for one who never hands down the throne or even thinks of it ? All my kin have died or been killed for the new king to rise. Good Hel, even Odin Allfather is thinking of giving his throne to you, Thor."

It was even more obvious than before when Thor quickly got off the table, replied, "Yes, I think my coronation should be any day now.", then mumbled an excuse and even more quickly left, that the man had been hard.

He sighed, "Asgardians...why must you be so odd ?", as he used frustration fueled joteld to start dousing the candles.

_'Well, **now** what am I supposed to do ? I have to consider what to wear for his coronation, anyways. Hmm, Frigga's gift robe or my official robes that Helblindi and Byleistr made for me ? Something new perhaps ? Ah, what to wear, whatever do I wear ?'_

One by one the candles died and his heart-beat calmed. Even to himself the smell of musk, black-berries and lightning overpowered the oils. When he exited the healing wing, the men who had gathered grumbled to themselves about, "The cursed lucky Prince.", and dispersed.


	13. Approval

As Loki ran a hand over his hair he dropped the illusion-form, earlier for clothes he'd finally chosen the white-blue robes that he came to Asgard in for Thor's coronation. _'What do I do with my hair ? I have it down all the time, but I can't figure out what I want to do with it now that I want it up. How I will long for petty problems such as this down the road.'_

"Grandmother, I need your help."

She walked into his bathing chamber, her hair had been shorn to chin-length and she wore a simple white-robe. As she was ancient, and her healing no longer being as good as his own, the left side of her body was now covered in bright-white burn marks that starkly contrasted her white-blue skin. The burns made him want to go find Surtr and kill him, he pushed the desire away.

Grandmother picked up his hair and started a complex weaving, "We can do something simple later. If your father has not fled Jotunheim and renounced the title, you will need it will simple for Amuothumbla's challenge in the temple."

The thought of the challenge sent warm dread down his spine. _'If my ausa-kind is complete by then do I really want to risk myself ? But, Helblindi and Byleistr have no training to run Jotunheim. Amuothumbla help me, there must be some way. Perhaps I could do the challenge myself and then figure something out...if I survive.'_

When she stopped, he looked at the work she'd done, it was a bun that's ragged edges that had been gracefully coated in ice. "Thank you, Grandmother, it's amazing."

They walked out of his chambers and he stared at Thor's closed door. Slowly, he walked over to the door, went to knock, but then something caught his eye.

He half-turned to see Sif and Byleistr standing in the hallway. Byleistr wore a black-silver edged kilt and gauntlets on his wrists. Sif was dressed in black armour, the pink, raised scars that covered the right-side of her face were in full view. Surtr's fire had burned her right-eye so badly that it was sightless now. Sif's hair as Grandmother's had been cut to chin-length, he walked up to her.

Slowly, making sure her left-eye could see his movement he took her hand, "Thank you, Lady Sif, for slowing my father and Surtr down. Surely they would have killed both Thor and myself without your interfering."

She slid a hand through her hair, looking briefly confused when the black-strands didn't go as far down as she was used to them being. "It was not a problem, Loki, yourself and Thor would have done the same thing for myself and Skaoi. Come, we must get to the throne room. The future king can be late all he wants, but you, Prince Loki as representative of Jotunheim cannot be."

Seconds later, they were being herded past Thor's door without stopping until Grandmother, Byleistr along with Helblindi and himself stood on the three steps leading to the dais and throne; Grandmother and himself stood in front of the others. As he looked up at the dais at Frigga and Odin, who looked very proud indeed, the golden armoured and spear-wielding Honour Guard entered along the red carpet and took their positions.

When the rest of the people filed in to stand on either the left or right-side, Freida, Morda and Thorgil were in the front row. _'Let him be on time, clear ice, I'm probably more worried about this than he is.'_

Like Ymir had proven many of his thoughts during his time in Asgard, Thor smiling, clad in his dark-blue leather and chain-mail armour, the ruby-cloak flaring impressively as he swung Mjolnir, strode down the aisle to a great roar of cheers. Thor's smile widened at the sight of him, at which he, in turn rather amusingly, nearly iced the step he stood on.

_'Oh great Ymir...I think I'm truly in love.'_

The only response he was allowed to give back was a nod, which Thor accepted before he ascended the dais to stand in front of Odin at which everyone quieted almost instantly.

Odin stood and announced, "Today is a day that I have long wished to see. For today is the day that I crown my only child, Thor, as King of Asgard ! We are honoured to have His Majesty, Prince Loki Laufeyson of Jotunheim to witness and celebrate this great event with us."  

When he nodded at Odin's words, the white-haired man continued, "Kneel Thor."

He'd gotten so used to seeing people go down on one knee and put their fist over their heart to Thor that it was odd to see Thor doing it to someone else, even King Odin.

"Do you swear to always put the people and kingdom of Asgard over your own desires ?"

Not a seconds hesitation, just a strong, "I swear.", that echoed up to the bright-blue skies above.

"Do you swear to always help Asgard's allies in their times of true need, whether that need be's petty or dire ?" 

"I swear."

Odin's serious face lit with a rare smile, "Then rise for I proclaim you, Thor Odinson, **King of Asgard**." Thor rose and turned to them as Odin cried, "All hail King Thor !"

The Asgardians put their fists over their hearts and knelt, "Hail King Thor !"

Himself, Grandmother, Byleistr and Helblindi stayed standing until the Asgardians had quieted. Slowly, they walked up the dais steps and creating a spear of ice he approached the new king, "On behalf of my father, King Laufey, I, Prince Loki of Jotunheim salute thee King Thor of Asgard. It is our hope that you may reign as long and well as thy father, Odin Burison, did."

When he finished his salute, he and the others roared their approval of Thor to Ymir.

Thor turned to look at Grandmother and the handsome face turned serious, "As a former queen, Lady Skaoi, do you not know of the strife that once existed between our Worlds ?"

"Aye, King Odinson, I know it all too well. What does Your Majesty wish to do about this matter ?"

"I would erase the boundary between Asgard and Jotunheim forever. My Lady Skaoi, I know not how it is done in your World, but," Here Thor turned to look at him, those blue-eyes earnest, "would one hundred ounces of silver be enough for thy grandson Prince Loki's hand ?"

He gasped at the amount, quite sure that he had grossly misheard it.

_'W-w-what ? O-one hundred ? Oh great Ymir that's-'_

Caught only a single glimpse of Odin and Frigga's brilliant smiles before he, unashamedly, passed out from shock and delight.


	14. Jotunheim

Slowly, Loki holding an injured and unconsious Thor and staggering slightly under the weight, walked up to the gray castle's black gates. Spared an angry glare for the nine-foot tall guards who stood barring the doors with ice-spears.

He hissed, "Open the gates, my father wants to see him."

Fjarra, Brugga's brother, laughed aloud, "Oh look, it's Prince Runt. What are you going to do if we don't let you in ? Scream for Daddy ?"

"Father wants to see him while he is **still alive** , you fools ! Open. The. Gates. Now or Father will execute you for letting him die."

Fjarra snarled, but the doors were opened and he tread the familiar paths to the throne room. Said throne room guards opened the doors right away, he called as he walked in, "Father, I'm home...and I brought a gift."

Thor crashed down onto the thick, clear ice cracking it and blood which was spreading from Thor's severed leg turned the ice bright-red.

His father was far dwarfed by the, new, ten-foot, black-stone and ice throne that was embedded with rubies. Very slowly, Father got up from the throne to circle the great black room before walking over to Thor and then the cold, red-eyes flicked up to him.

"Everything went as planned then ?"

"Oh no, it went even better, Father. Can you believe that I actually got this buffoon to think that I loved him ?"

A grunt of effort as Thor rolled over, betrayal written across his face, "How could you ? Do Bergelmir and Bor really mean so little to you, my love, that you had to kill their aunt and uncles so visciously, so callously ?"

**Flashback**

The Bifrost's beam dispersed and the illusions that were hiding the guards dropped.

Sif let out a shocked, "Loki what's going on ?", before Sif could blink, he spun and kicked her off the precipice into the chasm below.

One of the guards slit Hogun's throat with an ice-sword as another bashed Hogun's head in.

Thor threw Mjolnir which slammed into the nearest guard, the one who was killing Hogun and propelled the guard over the precipice into the far side, before plummeting to his death.

He caught Mjolnir before it could get back to Thor. His mate, of course, put up a good fight, but was out-matched when he turned the joteld on the Asgardian King and one of the guards sliced cleanly through Thor's right-leg. Blond-hair glittered with fresh snow  from the clouds above as the last Asgardian present fell unconscious from shock.

**End Flashback**

In response, he snarled as he walked up to kick Thor in the groin, "I told you that I was a habitual liar once didn't I ?! Didn't I ? You weak, pathetic fool, Odin **murdered** my grandfather ! Did you really think I would be able to fall in love with his murderer's **son** ? The only reason I agreed to go to Asgard in the first place is because I wanted to rip his heart out before Father and Surtr destroyed the kingdom. As for our children, well, Bor and Bergelmir will be better raised where they will become strong; here in Jotunheim. You Asgardians are too lenient to raise children, Volstagg could have killed Bor with what he did !"

_'Hm, how beautiful are my little Bergelmir and Bor ? Very, but it's so very sad that the others won't be here to help raise them like a few days ago.'_

**Flashback**

The days of feasting, celebrating and even the wedding itself passed in a blur, the only thing that really woke him up was two little voices.

He opened his eyes to see his ausa-kind sons curled against his chest. _'Amuothumbla, their beautiful !'_ They looked up at him - one of them was white-blue skinned with a tuft of blond-hair and blue-eyes, while the other was Asgardian pale with black-hair and red-eyes.

"Thor ! Thor, wake up !"

A mumbled, "No-o, sleep-ing."

"You want to see our sons don't you ?"

Thor was suddenly leaning over him and gasping, "Oh, Loki, their...their amazing ! I know what we're naming this one." Thor gently picked up their littlest son, who had black-hair and red-eyes, "His name is Bergelmir Lokison."

Slowly, he picked up their white-blue skinned, blond boy, "Well, I like Bor, it is a form of Buri is it not ?"

Soft lips and rough beard brushed against his cheek, "That it is, I like it."

"Bor Thorson is our biggest boy, then. Shall we get dressed and go show the others our new sons ? Everyone is going to go absolutely mad over them...and thankfully my asua-kind is over as well."

"Yes, yes, they will. My Mother and Father won't know what to say."

Minutes later, Frigga gently took Bergelmir from him and Odin, with a look of wonder, stroked Bergelmir's forehead.

Sif said of Bor, "Aww, he's so cute. He's got your skin, Loki. I wonder if he has your magic abilities ?"

Hogun answered, "Well, if either little Bergelmir or Bor has magic, they will have incredible teachers in Queen, uh, ex-Queen Frigga and Loki."

Volstagg took Bor from Sif and threw him up into the air.

Worry made him snap, "Be careful with my son, you great breadcrumb !"

A chuckle, "Aye, don't worry your little head, Loki and tone down won't you ? You're a bit high-strung.", as Volstagg caught Bor.

"Be quiet, Thor, are you listening to this ?"

"Yes, and well, if you don't mind my saying, dyrr, you could stand to be a little more...Loki."

The others broke into laughter as he mock-glared at Thor, "Yes, yes, it's very funny. Ymir knows, I've married a buffoon !"

Volstagg continued as if he hadn't interrupted, "And the boys will have many great weapons masters to teach them. Right, Lady Skaoi ?"

"Right indeed, O valiant Volstagg. Odin give me my great-grandson I won't have you hogging him all morning !"

"You can hog him all evening, Skaoi, the boys need their time to hog their own sons. Sif would you be able to find a woman willing to feed my grandsons ?"

Sif smiled as she handed Bor back to himself, "Of course, K-, I mean, Allfather."

**End Flashback**

When Thor, curled up in pain, spat, "You're a **murderer** , a **traitor** and you're going to turn them into murderers and traitors **just like you** !", at him and he flinched, he hadn't expected that to actually hurt.

_'As good at betrayal as Father is...'_

Father walked up to hug him...for the first time, "No, he's always doing what he's told, such a good...son."

Broke the illusion while Thor got up, swiftly he pulled Father's dagger from the back of the kilt and as he replied, "No, Father, I'm very bad.", he plunged it through Father's back into his heart, "And you murdered Grandfather, not Odin. Know that I will make sure that Surtr of Muspelheim will fall by the ice of Jotunheim and the steel of Asgard."

Father gasped, "Ymir will never let you be king and...Surtr will kill your brats.", then his skin faded from white-blue to gray as did the red-eyes, when he dropped Father onto the floor, the worst King of Jotunheim in all its history finally died.

_'I'm better. Surtr will never get near our babies, not when Thor and I will kill him first.'_

Thor murmured as they walked out of the throne room, "You seemed a bit too enthusiastic about kicking me in the crotch."

He smiled and briefly kissed his mate/husband, "Well, I had to make it believable for Father. Would you like to meet someone else new ?"

"We just had our sons a few days ago and you want me to meet someone new, again ?"

 "Bokki ! Bokki, come here, girl."  

The giant, dark-blue furred wolf trotted up as Thor gasped and Father hissed, "Stupd boy !"

Moved to the side and gestured, "Bokki, get Father."

Bokki launched herself through the second illusion of Thor and onto Father, a screamed, "Guards, guards !", as Bokki bit through Father's right-hand.

The guards didn't respond, they didn't even move an inch, he walked up to stroke Bokki's ears, "Renounce your title, Father and I will call her off."

An even frostier than normal look, but Father quickly buckled like weak ocean ice, "By great Ymir Amuothumblajarson, I renounce the name of Ymirkind, also I renounce the title King of Jotunheim and all the powers therein."

"Thank you, Father, that means really quite a lot; Bokki, enough. Guards, take my father down to the dungeons won't you ? I'm sure one of our prisoners will have quite the words to say to him."

At his voice, the guards moved in and picked up Father to carry him off to the dungeons, to be dealt with later on. Bokki moved away from Father to sniff at Thor's crotch; the real Thor stood slightly uncomfortable beside the huge throne.

"Hey ! I'm the only one who gets to sniff down there, paws off."

Bokki howled before rushing past Father and the guards to head for Grandmother, Bor and Bergelmir who waited by the temple with Hogun, Sif and Volstagg.

He rubbed his hands through his hair, nervous as he shook it out before walking out. Outside the gates, it had started to storm. The temple loomed ever larger as they approached and the blond-haired Priestess Mira, wearing cermonial nothing, motioned him forward.

Slowly, he stepped forward as she asked, "Do you, Prince Loki, wish to take on blessed Amuothumbla's chanllenge ? Of which, as put down by Thrudgelmir Ymirson, if you live through the ordeal means you will become Loki Ymirkind, King of Jotunheim, with all the powers it thus entails ?"

"I do, Priestess Mira."

Priestess Mira gestured to the entrance, "Then do so and I pray that great Ymir be with you. He knows we need a far better king than the one that we had."

Helblindi and Byleistr flanked the temple entrance as guards. As he walked up, he spared a glance back for all his present family; all looked worried, even his little sons. _'I know not what I go into, but I beg of thee, Great-grandfather Ymir, let me live...'_


	15. Challenge

Loki looked about the chamber, it was still empty except for Ymir's Casket which glowed brightly as it stood on the stone table/altar. The thick ice circle in the center of the ceiling had been removed and thick snow swirled down around him.

_'What am I supposed to do ? Grandfather and Grandmother both said it was something to do with the Casket. Do I finally get to touch it ?'_

Warily, he walked up to touch it and he startled when a beam emitted from the Casket to shape itself into a thirty-foot tall Jotun made of Ymir's energy and swirling snow. Its voice shook the chamber, "Are thee one of my sons ?"

He knelt in the snow, "I am Prince Loki, son of Laufey who renounced his title, who was the son of King Bergelmir, thus was he the son of King Thrudgelmir whom was himself your son, O great Ymir."

"Are you, Loki, ready for dear Amuothumbla's challenge to your claim of kingship ?"

_'If I am to get Jotunheim truly on my side I must pass the test. If I do not then as I told her, Grandmother will be come Regent until Bor is ready. He will have had much more training than I to pass the test to become King.'_

Slowly, he raised his head and stated, "Yes, I am."

Ymir disappeared and a female voice asked, "What is quiet as the freshly fallen snow, wise as silence, that which is evil and hated as fire ?"

_'Quiet as snow ? That's nearly everything on Jotunheim. Wise as silence, but hated like fire ? It cannot be Ottihestr, it cannot be the dread-horse because though it was greatly feared, never did it talk. What if it is not talking of something relating to Jotunheim as it is now ? Grandfather told me a story once about such a thing if only I could remember it !'_

Got up to stretch his limbs and started to pace in the snow. "Dread-horses, dread-horses....quick as a blizzard, with steeds as deep gray-cloud, they were wise as the silence, dreaded as the fire and as the silent darkness from which they came...for they were the Svartalfar, the dreaded black-elves of times long past. Those whom were before even great Ymir and more deadly to Jotnar than even Buri's terrific sons would become - that is all I can remember of what Grandfather said. But how can that be the answer for Grandfather said that Svartalfheim is dead but for the dwarves. He said he wanted to take me there, but he was killed before we could go."

_'After all this is over Thor and I should take Bergelmir and Bor to see Svartalfheim, to see the other Worlds. It would be a treat not only for the boys, but for myself as well.'_

'Amuothumbla's voice answered, "It matters not how the answer came, but that it is right and it is indeed right. Know you how to fight, Prince Loki ?"

The haughty answer of, "Of course, I have been training all my life,", the rest of his answer far less confident and he scuffed a bare-foot through the snow in unconscious embarrassment, "because I am a runt."

There was no answer from 'Amuothumbla', instead somehow the altar disappeared and a seven-foot tall black-elf, his skin dark as a starless night and his braided hair as fresh snow, in heavy black-armour and wielding a sword appeared.

He created his spear as they started circling around each other. "You think that you can beat me, you little runt ? When it took far more of your bigger brothers to kill me ?"

Ignored the jab as the dark-elf rushed at him, it bent below his first slash and the sword passed through an illusion as he, stood where the altar had been, shortened the spear and threw it. Despite the fact he'd created it with thicker ocean ice, it surprised him that it penetrated the dark-elf's shoulder armour.

Dark-elf turned and as it did it threw three knives, he dodged the first two with a flip and roll, catching the third he threw it back into the dark-elf's throat. A fourth knife flew through the air and he gasped as it slammed into his chest.

When the dark-elf charged again, he used the joteld to set it on 'fire'. The dark-elf ignoring the joteld jumped into the air and slashed downward. Blocked the now frost-flaming sword with his arm, it snarled before it suddenly collapsed to the bloody snow, dead.

Held in a pained cry and grimaced as he pulled the knife out, "That was...far too easy, aggh-"

The giant clawed paw of an ottikivkvendi slammed into the back of his head, just before he was sent crashing into the far temple wall. After he crashed into the snow, he rolled to look up at the hulking, short-muzzled, light-blue skinned beast who glared at him with tiny, red-eyes. Created another spear as the ottikivkvendi approached in a blur of speed and snow, too late did it realize its mistake as it impaled itself and still tried getting at him.  
  
In response, he punched it before he climbed onto the spear, then the ottikivkvendi's head as he formed a long knife. Walked briefly along its small, black-spine covered neck, looking for the right spot before spotting it and plunging the blade in with all the force he could. Its deep growl mixed with his sharp cry of surprise as it threw itself on its back, pinning him underneath as its blood ran into his eyes.

_'I get pressure put on my knife wound and then I get crushed to death by the same.'_

Heard the sound of feet and then Thor rushed in shouting, "Helblindi, Byleistr get in here, quickly !"

As he blinked blood out of his eyes,Thor, that tanned face fearful and anxious, started pushing at the dread-creature. The Asgardian King managed to half-lift it, but it was so big that Thor dropped it, he screamed as the force that fell on him started cracking his bones.

Helblindi and Byleistr arrived, so his love and his brothers managed to throw the beast off. Like too many other times, once again, as his vision started going black, Thor scooped him up, cradling him gently.

Through the blood pounding in his ears and the agony, he heard a demanding, "Helblindi do something ! You have to heal him !"

"I can't, Thor, I am not a healer."

Thor's voice echoed oddly, from even farther away than whenever he'd blacked out in the past, "Then get one you thrice accursed Jotun. Loki, my lovely Loki, you have to stay here ! Look at me, look at me !"

Hadn't even realized that he'd closed his eyes until then, through the oddly slitted vision that he still had, he saw that those blue-eyes were shedding tears; then they faded away. _'No, Ymir let me go...I want to **live** !'_


	16. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More changes here, as with all the others, combining Marvel history and Norse legends.

Suddenly, ice gleamed in mist-covered gloom and Loki's anguished scream of, "No-o !", echoed off the frosted walls of...Hel. Dim green crystals glowed at the edges of his sight as his thoughts raced in denial, _'This can't be happening, it can't be, it can't be. **It's a nightmare** , just a nightmare. Oh, wake up, wake up, Loki you have to wake up.'  
_

Nearly cried as Grandfather's disbelieving voice, "Loki ? Minn dyrr smar slifrtunga is that you ? My you've grown a lot, what are you doing here so soon ?", echoed off the walls around him and then those warm, dark-ruby eyes were looming over him.

That warmth made him think of how much the others would be grieving at that same moment. This wasn't fair, he hadn't even gotten to see Bergelmir and Bor reach half a week's age. _'Thor, my boys Bergelmir and Bor they need me ! Hel damn you, Great-grandfather Ymir, Gods damn you for taking me away ! Now I'll never see him again because he'll be in Valhalla.'_

Grandfather helped him up, immediately after he hugged the much bigger, bald Jotun. A hand ran through his hair, "It was the challenge wasn't it ? Did Laufey finally die ?"

"Yes, Grandfather it was. I managed to beat the Svartalf and likely the Ottikevikvendi, but it killed me. Oh, Grandfather, this isn't fair ! Finally, everything was going right - I found out about Grandmother and Father's lies. And before, and after, that there was Thor, Bor and Bergelmir along with Mother. I had a **family** , I had **friends** for the first time, I had so much to live for ! Including finally killing Father and Surtr."

To distract him Grandfather asked, "Thor ? Is that not the name of Odin's son ?"

Slowly, he pulled away to start moving, it was cold enough in Hel for even him to notice it. Of course, there were many others here - Jotnar, Aesir like the Asgardians and Alfar or elves, and such others, but they were avoiding himself and Grandfather. Walked over to touch one of the green crystals, it flared briefly white, like the crystals in Jotunheim, at his touch.  
  
Closed his eyes as he wished for lavender and lightning, whispered, "It is and he's one of the most wonderful men I've ever met, if a bit like a wolf pup as he's not the brightest at times, but it's always obvious that he cares. You know how on Jotunheim we only have one giant feast one day for mating ceremonies ? We had six, Grandfather, six ! And for the last three of them, oh Gods, Thor was running around like a mad man after the feasts picking lavender so he could wear it as a crown during the ceremony."

The memory of putting that wreathe of lavender on the blond-hair, that brief kiss and Thor's absolutely, ridiculously, adorable smile, made him burst out laughing.

"Well, I'm glad that he made you happy at the very least. Queen Hel ? What is my Lady doing visiting ?"

He turned to the Queen of Hel - half of her was black-skinned like a Svartalf, while the other half was Asgardian pale, her hair was white-blond and her face was sharply shaped with deep-set, piercing, green-eyes. Her voice was like a distant echo and silvery sounding, "Hail to thee, O Bergelmir Thrudgelmirson. Hail to thee, O Loki Ymirkind, King of Jotunheim. I apologize for my lateness, I have a deal for you, Loki."

_'Deal ? I will not give up anyone I love just so that I may live. There are routes out of Hel for the dead, but only that she gives access.'_

"Deal, Queen Hel ? What sort of deal is it that I may leave ?"

"I will let you go if you swear that as soon as you are able you will send Laufey and Surtr to me."

Couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, "That is all ? Just sending my father and Surtr to you ? It seems too simple."

Hel smiled at him, "Yes, that is all, though I assure you, Surtr will not be sent easily."

_'As if I did not know that from when he roasted my back and said it was, but a taste of what he could do.'_

"It cannot be that hard, Queen Hel, you have a deal."

A brief forearm grasp between them and then he hugged Grandfather good-bye, before he followed Hel away. She gave him directions, supplies and a horse, then he was off for Jotunheim - crossing the river Gjoll and for nine days he traveled in canyons filled with silent darkness unconsciously waiting for Svartalfar to appear which never did.

The last thing he traveled through before appearing in Jotunheim was a secret passage from Hel. Last to do was a ride through a blizzard to the castle, where Fjarra stared at him as he dismounted; then Fjarra laid both hands on his chest, knelt and roared, "Hail Loki Ymirkind ! All shall bow to King Loki of Jotunheim !"

A series of great commotions inside the castle, the dim sound of a crashing table, another closer crash followed by the familiar yelp of his love falling over. That was itself followed by the gates of the castle being thrown open by Thor, unintentionally, causing them to slam Fjarra in the face.

They stared at each other for what felt like hours; before Thor thundered across the bridge with a delighted half-laugh/half-scream of, " **Loki !** ", then he was swept up into strong arms, along with the scent of musk, black-berries, lightning and a series of desperate kisses. Tanned fingers traced his cheekbone, as blue-eyes, once again crying, swept over his face admiringly, he realized that he'd been without his illusion-form for days.

_'Gods I missed him.'_

When he could breath again, he leaned his forehead against his love's. Ran shaking fingers through the long blond-hair with a whisper of, "Thor.", as his own tears escaped. Grandmother, carrying Bergelmir and Bor in an arm each, ran out to join the embrace.

_'We'll have to inform the rest of the family of my return after I send Father to Hel. Oh this is going to be fun. Mother is going to be **so** shocked.'_

While Fjarra hit the ground as the doors closed, there was an all encompassing roar of noise, a jubilant, "Hail King Loki Ymirkind !", that echoed over the snowy plains...to awaken Bergloki Ymirson from his icy slumber.


	17. Cell

The dim light radiating from the crystals that had formed around the dungeons black-ice walls and glacial-cells were a relief to Loki after the complete darkness of the canyons.

_'I should put some crystals back into the throne room, like Grandfather had before I could remember it. Hmm, could I impale Father on one of them first ? No that's too good for him.'_

In the farthest cell were the eight and a half-foot tall Bjaar, who had once been a Royal Guard and was father of Brugga and Fjarra, along with a very bloody Father. Grinned when he saw that Father still lacked his right hand.

When Father saw him, Father glared and spat, "How can you be alive ? You stupid little brat, you should be dead !"

Before Thor, who was clad in his blue-leather armour, along with a new, rune covered, steel breast-plate and his red cloak could draw Mjolnir; the wrinkled and very ancient Grima, in his dark-blue, issvarg fur scribe's kilt, walked up to the cell and striking the bars with a fist, snapped, "Don't you dare talk to your king that way you disrespectful little ice worm !"

Bjaar grabbed Father put him in a headlock and made him kneel. He couldn't help, but laugh at Grima's insult and Thor looked confused, as almost usual. So, he explained as he walked up to Father's and Bjaar's cell, "Ice worms may be giants like nearly everything else here, but they are incredibly slow and, more importantly, their main food source is eating other beings waste. When I was younger some of the others would have ice worm 'races' by pushing them faster than the others. Hehe, if they get pushed over crystals too fast, their bellies are so soft that they explode into bloody worm parts. Humphf, according to Father I was 'too important' for such trivial matters."

_'It's almost hard to remember that Thor and I grew up in such different places, so well do we get along. Maybe Thor and I'll have to teach Bor and Bergelmir how race ice worms, that would be fun.'_

That explanation caused Thor to laugh as the Asgardian followed him, "Ah, so it suits him very well and he looks quite like a worm himself. So, are you going to send him to Hel right away, love ?"

Bjaar hissed as he slammed Father face-first into the cell-bars, "Let me do it, Your Majesty, he ordered Bergloki to kill my mate." Bjaar pulled Father away to form an ice knife at Father's throat.

Gestured downward and Bjaar released Father as he replied, "As much as I would love to let you kill him, Bjaar, no I cannot. I made a deal with Hel to kill my father and Surtr so that she would allow me to return. You can help Thor and myself when we invade Muspelheim later."

He slid a hand along the cell to find the handle, the door slid open and he kicked Father in the face. If Father hadn't been bound in ankle-chains to the floor he would have crashed into the castle wall, as it was Father jerked and slammed into the floor. In payment for all the times that Father had broken his wrist, he stomped on Father's left until it snapped and there was a rather satisfying scream when it did.

Then he created an ice replica of Bjornandlat, before he stabbed Father in the throat with a hissed, "Say hello to Grandfather and Haki, Father."

Now it truly was Father's death and not an illusion as the ex-King convulsed, his skin and eyes faded to gray, like his own had over nine days ago.

_'Except unlike me, Father won't be coming back any time soon. Only Surtr is left now and he won't last long with nearly all of Jotunheim, along with Asgard's armies coming after him.'_

Leaned back as Thor's hands rubbed his shoulders while Grima asked sounding slightly scared, "K-king Loki, are you ready to summon Bergloki Ymirson ?"

An incredibly huge voice echoed through the castle walls, "Hail to thee young Loki Ymirkind, King of Jotunheim, I would speak with thee."

Grima startled into the bars in fright and Bjaar laughed, "Is His Majesty going to go out there alone ?"

Opened his eyes to meet Bjaar's, "Alone ? No, I've got Thor with me and would you do me the honour of re-joining the Royal Guard ?"

Bjarr smiled and knelt, "It is **my** honour to do so, King Loki."

_'Grandmother, Bjarr and now there is only a few left of the Royal Guard that Father never demoted or exiled all together for hating his rule.'_

With Thor and the two older Jotnar accompanying him, he ascended from the dungeons to walk outside to stand in front of the incredibly intimidating, twenty-foot tall, six-headed, Bergloki. Beside him Thor unconsciously reached for Mjolnir and he brushed Thor's hand away from the hammer.

He crossed his arms over his chest and half-bowed, before calling, "Hail to thee O mighty Bergloki Ymirson. What might I do for thee ?"

Bergloki bent down to peer at them as his closest right-head nodded in acknowledgement, "Know you little one that you are the only one to ask me such a question ?"

It took a second for him to rein in the impulse to bristle at being called, "Little one.", but at least, Bergloki only did it because he was truly small compared to his distant ancestor.

"No, I did not and let me apologize on the others behalves for not realizing that you are not just a legend to be controlled, but one of our people."

Half-terrified as he was suddenly being engulfed in one Bergloki's gigantic hands and lifted off the ground to be put on the truly giant Jotun's shoulder. Of course, he made the very bad mistake of looking from Bergloki's shoulder down to see that even Bjaar looked incredibly small and the snow looked even farther away. His vision swam and his legs felt weak, a moan of terror as he closed his eyes, crouched and pressed his hands against Bergloki's bare-shoulder.

_'Oh Gods, I feel like I'm going to fall off. I wasn't made for heights, get me down, get me down...'_

"Tho-or !"

Seconds later, Thor appeared in the air to land beside him with a faint chuckle, "You don't like heights, I take it ? I'm sorry, I should not have said that."

All he could do was shake his head and take a deep breath before clinging to Thor. Sighed as he realized just how strong and steady his love was.

Bergloki murmured an apology, followed by, "I would help you young Loki and the Odinson if it means that Surtr will go to Hel."

Thor answered, "Yes, that is our plan and we greatly appreciate your help in the feat. Do you know how Lady Skaoi and the others survived the heat of Muspelheim ?"

That prompted him to slowly raise his head, "I-I think they used the Casket...and themselves, of course. It would make sense, at the very least."

Needless to say, he was very relieved to get back on the ground, Bergloki agreed to meet them near the Bifrost area when everything had been arranged for the invasion of Muspelheim.

_'We can't wait too soon seeing as likely Surtr will have found out from 'Mother' that I'm alive again. I wonder if Mother was practicing how to make those animal illusions like I taught her ? We could use those illuisons somehow.'_


	18. Illusion

A metallic clang as Grandmother's new Asgardian sword glanced off Bergandlat's spearhead. Twisted the spear and pulled the sword from Grandmother's grip as he flung the sword away. Meanwhile she rushed in, charging into his stomach and throwing him on the ground.

Swiftly he grabbed her and flipped them over to pin Bergandlat against Grandmother's throat.

"So, I was thinking that perhaps Mother and I could cover the armies in an illusion, that way we could trick Surtr even if 'Mother' is there."

 _'She must be with Surtr since she wasn't in the castle.'_  
  
Grandmother slammed Bergandlat back into his own throat and as he gagged slammed her forehead into his, before kicking him off her. She replied, as he crashed down on his side, "I suppose it could work, if he's still as stupid as he used to be."

Thor called, as he ran over from inside the training room, "Enough, enough ! Are you actually trying to kill each other ?"

Himself and Grandmother both looked at the Asgardian King, "Of course not, Thor. This is how we spar on Jotunheim."

As the blond helped him up Thor shook his head, "There are a few things I will **never** understand about the Jotnar and this is one of them."

"Oh don't worry, Thor, I'll never get how you Asgardians can be so picky about wearing clothes. Bor as Prince of Jotunheim needs to be used to Jotnar lack of clothing."

Walked to pick up Bergandlat and sling it on his back as Grandmother picked up the sword to sheath it. A few mintues later, he grinned as sitting in Frigga's garden with Freida, Morda and Thor, Mother accomplished creating the illusion of a bilgesnipe. She'd slowly moved from Huggin and Muninn to rabbits and far bigger up until today's Bilgesnipe.

The seven-foot tall, six-legged, gray/brown-scaled, giant antlered and drooling beast was so convincing that Freida actually hide behind Morda and himself.

_'At least, illusions can't smell. Thank Gods for that even if they could, nothing would smell as horribly as the real thing. It's just disgusting even to me and I fell in undigested ice worm waste...twice.'_

Thor clapped and said, "That's amazing, Mother. We could use yourself and Loki's illusions to make the armies seem even bigger. Loki since Mother gave a demonstration of her animal illusions, would you want to try making mulitple illusions ?"

"I-I don't know if I can."

Odin replied as he walked up, "Do not worry if you can't, Loki, but it would be very helpful if you tried."

_'How different Grandmother, Mother and Odin are from my birth parents. 'Mother' never would have been that understanding, she never was.'_

**Flashback**

"Make an illusion."

He couldn't remember how he'd done it and panicked, he blurted, "I-I d-don't k-know how."

Mother, who absolutely hated that she looked like one of the Jotnar, instead of her half-Asgardian mother, glared at him with illusioned gray-eyes. " **Never** show weakness, if the Asgardians wouldn't already kill you for being a runt, they'd kill you for being weak. Though, they'd actually be doing you a favour."

It was funny how she also hated the Asgardians, even more than she wished to look like them. _'Well, at least, they would put me out of my misery.'_

Felt the magic build, but it didn't come out as an illusion, it came out as an explosion of pure magic that tore Mother's illusion apart as he screamed, "I don't know !"

A quietly hissed, "You're pathetic, Loki, I can't believe you're my son.", as she quickly replaced her illusion.

**End Flashback**

Slowly, he nodded and reached out to Bokki as the dark-blue she-wolf ran up to him. Focused on creating multiple images of her in his mind, one in front of him and two on either side of him.

The center one was a perfect illusion, but the other two flickered and died seconds later. Bokki's new mate, one of the Asgardian gray wolves, ran up to growl at the illusion of her. It made him wonder if they could forge another temporary alliance with the wolves.

With a few tips and demonstrations from Mother, he eventually got two illusions to stay up for a few minutes. Freida, who'd started fidgeting a while ago, suddenly burst out with, "Can we go and see the Princes, again ?"

Freida had taken a good likening to both Princes, but even more so to Bergelmir what with his being Prince of Asgard.

**Flashback**

Earlier in the day in front of Jotunheim's castle, he'd officially made Bor, Prince of Jotunheim, and Grandmother, Regent. Even now he couldn't help smiling, at the remembered warmth the Jotnar had given Bor and now what would surely come from his foster-people, as he lifted Bergelmir in his little suit of white-leather and chain-mail armour, "Know you all that you stand before the new Prince of Asgard ?"

"Aye !"

"What is his name ?"

"Bergelmir Lokison, hail to thee Prince of Asgard !"

Bergelmir giggled and tossed his black-haired head to look at Bor. Bor, held in Thor's arms beside them, giggled too and looked back, taking Bergelmir's pale hand in his white-blue one.

In the front row Freida burst out laughing at Bor and Bergelmir's antics.

**End Flashback**

Scratched Bokki's ears as the two of them got up and he responded, "Oh I don't know, I think they're asleep or do you think they'll be awake by now, Thor ?"

"I suppose they might be, it wouldn't hurt to check."

Everyone else got up and they went to check on the boys. When they entered his beige-walled room, he stopped in confusion. Bor and Bergelmir were still resting in the blanket-padded, ice-crib, but, _'I'm sure we put them on the opposite sides. Bergelmir was on the left and Bor was on the right.'_

Red- and blue-eyes blinked up at them, then the illusions faded to reveal that Bergelmir was in fact on the left and Bor on the right. Bokki walked up to put her paws on the crib to look down at them.

As he and Thor picked up their kids, Odin remarked, "Here I thought Thor was a little brat and he was just a normal child. You two are going to take after Loki and be little tricksters aren't you ?"

_'Doubtless that when they're older, they're going to use those illusions to get each other in trouble.'_

Pulled Bor a bit closer to himself as he remembered that tomorrow, tomorrow would be the invasion of Muspelheim. Tomorrow, he would either kill Surtr or go back to Hel for his failure. _'I will **not** go back to Hel !'_

 


	19. War

Through the heat and steam of Muspelheim, Loki, carrying Ymir's Casket, turned to survey Jotunheim's army, hisarmy. Grandmother, Bjaar and the other Royal Guard surrounded him, while flanking them were to the left were the Issvargar packs and to the right was Bergloki. Beside Bergloki and behind them was the rest of the army - sword, spear and bowmen along with a great trail of glittering ice. 

In front of them stood the bridges above the fire-plains and lakes that guarded the red-brown stone castle of Muspelheim, its guards and sentries dotted the way.

_'Thor and the others should be showing up just about...now.'_

As he turned back to Castle Muspel the Bifrost's beam thundered down beside the Issvargar, then Thor in his blue-leather/chain-mail armour and rune-covered breast-plate along with Frigga and Odin in golden armour strode out of it, followed by the first army of Asgard.

He dropped the illusion, striding forward freezing a path across the fiery ground as he went to stop on the first bridge, Thor joined him as the sentries looked confused. They both nodded before roaring, "For Jotunheim !" and "For Asgard !", both of them, "Attack !"

The Issvargar and Asgardian Vargar let out mighty howls, streaming across the ground and over taking both Thor and himself to swarm and rip into the seven and eight-feet tall Eldjotnar.

Ymir's Casket responded to his will as he ran the beam freezing both ground and foe in place. When he approached the enemy, he slung the Casket onto his back, undoing Bergandlat at the same time; thrust Bergandlat into the nearest Eldjotun and said Eldjotun shattered on impact.

Thor swung Mjolnir smashing his nearest to bits and summoned a great storm as the Eldjotnar broke out of their stupor and fire-balls started being flung that were soon accompanied by great screams of agony. Through the downpour of rain and even more steam, it made him grin as Bergloki thundered across the plains crushing screaming enemies in his path to attack the castle itself.

As the three armies swarmed he saw Odin and Frigga covering each other's back as Grandmother and Bjaar were ripping Eldjotnar apart by hand. Sif, Hogun and Volstagg were slashing and thrusting at the fire-giants distracting one Eldjotun from another and dodging the fire-balls.

Both himself and Thor moved, he kicked one of the seven foot-tall orange/red Eldjotnar and thrust Bergandlat through its throat as some of Thor's lightning cracked down to strike some further Eldjotnar that were circling Bokki and some Issvargar.

Suddenly, there was an explosion of magic by the castle and Bergloki screamed in pained rage. More magic explosions and then he saw Sif go flying through the air because of an Eldjotnar fist.

Shoved the worry away as he pulled Bergandlat out of the Eldjotun's throat and raced to plant the spear in the smoldering ground to kick a smaller female dusky orange/red enemy in the chest, when he landed she'd gotten up and he swept her feet out from under her to punch her in the head. She grabbed his wrist, he snarled as the fire smoldered on his skin. _'This is nothing compared to Surtr.'_

In response, he flipped her over his head, twisting her arm behind her back and Thor hit her in the face with Mjolnir. Said enemy then kicked Thor in the chest, who broke her leg as pay back, then Bokki jumped in to bite her throat. When the Eldjotun grabbed Bokki he screamed as he smelled burning fur.

Anger coursed through him and he let it go, the bitch was torn apart, leaving him to sink to the ground as he wrapped his arms around his oldest friend. His first impulse to cool her, b-but it was too late. Bokki's pained, light-red eyes blinked up at him once, she whimpered an-and then she died.

**Flashback**

He cuddled with the giant ice-wolf on his bed and looked down into her eyes to ask, quaveringly, "Y-you'll n-never leave me, r-right, Bokki ?"

Bokki let out a whuffing howl, then shook her head with a serious look. She leaned up to clean his face of tears and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. _'I'll never leave you either, Bokki, you're my friend. You'll always be my best friend...forever.'_

**End Flashback**

Wordlessly, he lay her body down and getting up stalked for the castle; dimly, he noticed people fleeing in every direction as his own and the Casket of Ymir's ice froze **everyone** who dared get in his way.

 


	20. Surtr

As Loki kicked open the castle's ruby-crusted doors, he roared, "Surtr ! Today is the day you go straight to Hel !"

The nine and a half-foot tall Eldjotnar King smirked at him, those poison-green eyes, once again, glowing gleefully, "Aww, did my soliders kill one of your little friends, Loki ? Why don't you go and say a hail for me ?"

Immense rage flooded through him as the stream of fire approached, he held out a hand and the Casket obliged - a stream of ice flowed through it to clash with the fire and quickly overpowered it. Then he unleashed the eldjot, but he was so angry that he missed his aim. Instead he launched himself at the older giant, creating an ice sword and hacking downward.

Steam as it hit Surtr's fire sword, he pushed the sword away and snarled as a dagger whipped past, a sting as the knife dug a furrow in his cheek. He turned on his heel and leapt up onto the black-granite staircase's rock railing to punch his 'mother' in the face.

She slammed into the brown rock that was laced with veins of fire and he ducked as one of those 'veins' started spewing molten fire at him. Froze it as it arced above him, then rolled under and broke a piece off, before he lunged and stabbed her in the shoulder.

'Mother' let an explosion loose and he grunted as he flew back to slam through the railing on the other side of the entrance hall. Surtr loomed above him, as he'd done before Surtr tried to roast him, but this time he had the Casket to create an ice shield and the tactic didn't work.

As Surtr looked surprised, he burst out of the shield and as the shards exploded in the Eldjotnar King's face, he quipped, "I'm so very sorry, but roast Loki isn't on the menu tonight."

Surtr roared and as blood ran down the orange/red skin from the shredded right-eye, a fist slammed into the side of his head. The world spun as he started to fall, a hard kick slammed into his ribs, before he was being grabbed, spun and then thrown into mid-air. Crashed into the floor hard enough to dent it and break Ymir's Casket. Ice crawled over the floor as he curled up at the pain, surely he must have blacked out because when he opened his eyes Surtr glared down at him.

Condescension just oozed from Surtr's stance and in the distant, growling voice, "Do you really think you can beat me, Loki ? I who have ten thousand years of experience, while you have not fifty ? **You** are the one who's going to Hel tonight."

Thor's voice came from four different directions, "No, Surtr, for my parents, for Bergelmir and everyone who has died because of you tomorrow Muspelheim will awaken...kingless."

_'What ? Where did those illusions come from ?'_

Two of the 'Thor's walked down from the staircases and two through the broken doors as thunder rumbled ominously overhead. Surtr laughed, "You can't trick me with illusions, boy, I know what your mother taught you."

_'Well, let's add one thing that you don't know, shall we ?'_

A thirty foot illusion of Bokki ran at Surtr, Surtr stood there confident that it would dissipate. Unfortunately for the fire-giant king Thor was running 'in' the illusion of Bokki to ram the lightning charged Mjolnir into him.

He got up with a faint smirk as Thor flew to land near Surtr and 'dropped' Mjolnir on the giant's chest. _'Thor never really explained this morning why Surtr wouldn't be able to lift it, just something about a mysterious 'worth' spell.'_

Surtr tried to move, but when he was unable to do so, snarled, "What witchcraft is this ?"

Slowly, he walked to take Bergandlat from Thor and stand over the fire-giant king. His triumphant answer, "It's not witchcraft, it's **justice** !", before he covered Bergandlat's tip in joteld and plunged the spear through Surtr's heart.

Apparently, Surtr was so old that he just disintegrated into embers. He asked, "A-are Mother and Odin really dead ?", as Thor picked up Mjolnir.  
  
Of course, he made sure to freeze and scoop up the embers. _'I think I'll feed him to an ice worm when we get to Jotunheim.'_

Thor shook his head, "No, but Volstagg and Bjaar are dead. Bergloki was caught in too many of your 'mother's explosions and is on his way."

Hugged his mate tightly before saying, "They did not die for nothing, love, Surtr is dead and they are avenged as they wait in Valhalla for us."

He'd heard 'Mother' coming up behind him, of course, there weren't many people who could escape his notice, and he back-handed her. Thor blasted her with lightning before they left to go say good-bye to Bergloki.

Bergloki was laid out across a great section of smashed castle battlements, so that they had to jump carefully to reach the hugely burned, six-headed Jotun. They crouched beside the closest left head which rolled to look at them and asked, "Have thee succeeded ?"

"Yes, he rests in Hel at this very moment."

Bergloki's heads all smiled faintly, "...Is good, I'm glad to have made up for what Laufey had me do."

"It was an honour getting to fight beside you, Bergloki Ymirson."

As the oldest of the Jotnar died, he looked over at Thor, "We won, is it just because we lost so many friends that it feels not so ? If I do go to Valhalla, I'll never see Grandfather again and I know not where Bokki went."

Thor's arm wrapped around his waist and the blond beard pressed against his cheek as Thor replied, "I am sure she will be there, perhaps Father can arrange something with Hel seeing as Bergelmir did die in battle."

_'I hope that it will be so, please Hel let it be.'_

They left the battlements before approaching Bokki's body and the bridge. Grandmother, Mother and Sif, along with Odin and Hogun met them on the bridge.

Grandmother murmured, "Bokki will rest with Bergelmir in the watersleep as befits her position as a king's pet."

A group hug as they congratulated each other on the feat that had been accomplished that day.

**Epilogue**

His and Thor's voices echoed through the library chambers, "Hail Bergelmir Lokison, King of Asgard. Hail Nal Bergelmirson, Prince of Asgard."

Bergelmir, his red-eyes warm, stood up to embrace them both, "It's lovely to see you both, Fathers."

Little black-haired and white-blue skinned Nal, his grey-eyes, just like his half-Jotun mother Queen Sela's, wide with awe, ran up to them. Nal wondered, "Can you tell me a story, Grandfathers ? Father has told me all of these before."

He shared a look with Thor and sat on one of the chairs as Bor asked, "Can we join in ?", whilst hugging Bergelmir.

They smiled answering, "Hail Bor Thorson, King of Jotunheim. Hail Jotmir Borson, Prince of Jotunheim. Of course, you can, sit."

Blond-haired, hazel-eyed and Asgardian pale Jotmir, with his Issvarg friend Bokki, raced up to slam into Nal and the two tumbled to sit down in front of the fire.

While he nodded, he reached down to pet the young Bokki. _'Just like my old friend, it's been years and still I miss you, Bokki. At least, yourself and Grandfather are in Valhalla where you should be.'_

Slowly, as he remembered it, he started telling the story of how he'd met Thor, "A Jotun - his skin blue-white as a frozen sky, sat on a snow drift, as a wind ruffled his long black-hair, he was unusually nervous this day. He lifted dark-red eyes from a snow barren rock as his father, Laufey, King of Jotunheim, approached."

As feats went among both Jotunheim and Asgard it would go down as one of the most legendary ever recorded, never to be forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading you guys, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it.


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